www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi everyone and Happy New Year.

I have a holiday booked in late May to the Forest of Dean. One of my target species for 2014 is the Marsh Fritillary. I'm not restricted purely to the the Forest of Dean and read with interest about good numbers at Aberbargoed Grasslands in 2013.
Would anyone be able to recommend sites for this wonderful butterfly (of which I have yet to see).

Kind Regards
Kevin Ling

Alright Kevin? The problem with Marsh Frits is that they have quite fragile populations at some sites so people can be reticent about naming small, less well known sites on a public forum. Your best bet is to check the species account on this site and there will be a list of the well known sites for them. You could also contact the local branch(es) of Butterfly Conservation and the Wildlife Trust as they could could give some more local knowledge. I hope this helps

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Just sent you a PM with some info, hope it helps

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I know Aberbargoed Grasslands very well, and you will certainly see plenty of Marsh Fritillaries there. However, it is a bit of a step from the Forest of Dean area. Try Strawberry Banks, near Stroud; that's much nearer where you're going to be based:

http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust ... erry-banks

Dear Wurzel & David,

Thank you both very much for your replies (Wurzel, I got your private message too).
This is very helpful for my planning. I'm driving from Suffolk, so one or two of the mentioned sites can certainly be
used as a diversion on the way to and from my destination.

Kind Regards
Kev

Hi Kevin,

I can also recommend Strawberry banks. We had a holiday in Gloucestershire a few years ago and this is where I saw my first marsh fritillaries. Also here were my first green hairstreak and small blues. It is a lovely site (as long as nobody has developed it yet!!). We parked near the school and walked down to it and spent a wonderful afternoon there.

Cheers
George