Dark Green Fritillary

The last gasp of Summer is over, Autumn is suddenly upon us and apart from the occasional Red Admiral still lingering around the last fallen fruit the Butterflies have gone, their brief, brilliant lives over for another year. So with fast shortening days and colder nights and Winter creeping ever closer it seems like a good time to look back at some of the highlights of what has been a wonderful year for Butterflies.

Dark Green Fritillaries Argynnis aglaja were out in spectacular numbers in late June and July racing across the sunny south-western slopes of Ivinghoe Beacon where the knapweeds and thistles they love so much grow in abundance. These powerful, fast flying butterflies, flighty and easily disturbed, rarely settle for long before speeding off to the next flower head and can be quite a challenge to get close to, let alone photograph successfully.

I spent a hot and frustrating morning at the end of June on Ivinghoe Beacon but came away without a single worthwhile photograph as the fritillaries, buzzing with sunshine rarely settled for more than a few seconds. I decided to make a return trip a few days later. It was late afternoon and much cooler and the butterflies, in a calmer mood were far more approachable, often settling on the Greater Knapweeds for long periods. Even so, obtaining some reasonable shots still involved an exhausting couple of hours running up and down the steep slopes in an effort to keep up with these active, fast moving butterflies!

Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja - Female (01/07/2010)

Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja - Female (left) and Male (right) - (01/07/2010)

The photos below show an unusual female Dark Green Fritillary found on Ivinghoe Beacon that looks very similar to the Scottish subspecies aglaja. This is the first time I have come across this beautiful boldly marked variation, much deeper and richer in colour with the fore-wings thickly veined and shot through with black.

Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja - heavily marked dark Female - (01/07/2010)