Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Silver-washed Fritillary.

A male Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) in Hill House Wood on Bookham Common today.
The male feeding on a Bramble, its favourite nectar supply, is distinguished by the four bold sex bands along the veins of the forewing. A single brood flies from mid-June to early September. Peak numbers usually appear towards the end of July. Males patrol large areas and are far more conspicuous, swooping, gliding and twisting in the sunlight in pursuit of the females who tend to flutter at low level in more shady areas.
For more information on how this female suffered damage to its antenna and loss of its abdomen please go to the post on my Early Birder blog....FAB.
Posted by FAB at 00:33
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6 comments:

  1. holdingmoments30 June 2010 at 07:31

    Beautiful butterflies Frank. Not seen them up here.

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  2. FAB30 June 2010 at 14:35

    Keith. Just need to find the right piece of broadleaf woodland.

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  3. Billy Dykes1 July 2010 at 03:06

    Very nice, Frank. I'm going to be hunting for SW Fritillary this summer so will try to get to Bookham Common soon... any specific directions?

    All the best,
    Bill

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  4. FAB1 July 2010 at 19:37

    Thanks Bill. Hill House Wood accessed from 100 Pound Bridge car park. I'll e-mail more specific info shortly.

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  5. Kerri Farley9 July 2010 at 14:08

    These are absolutely stunning!!! WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  6. FAB9 July 2010 at 21:42

    Hi Kerri. Thanks. I can't wait for mid month when there should be masses of this colourful species flying around.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you enjoyed your visit and I appreciate your comments.

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