Pearl-bordered Fritillary

For me the emergence of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary marks the start of the butterfly season. There are butterflies on the wing earlier in the year, Brimstone, Comma, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral that have spent the winter hibernating. Holly Blues are in the garden, Dingy and Chequered Skippers as well as Green Hairstreaks and even Duke of Burgundy are out on the downs.


Lots of butterflies flying but the Pearl-bordered is the first one that I have to search for and there is always the fear that it may not be there. Lockdown posed a problem this year but I have been good so far so the short drive over to Rewell Wood seemed like just reward.

Slightly worn Pearl-bordered Fritillary

It was good to see that they were still there and in what appeared to be increasing numbers. I saw somewhere between twelve and sixteen specimens in a couple of hours searching as compared to six or seven years ago when you would be lucky to spot one or two flying.

As butterflies go it was as annoying as ever. You see them in the distance, some even come close but they have an uncanny ability to just change direction and seemingly disappear completely, right in front of you. I also got there too early in the day and the males seemed hyperactive. The best picture I managed was the slightly worn specimen above. The shot below is from a previous year and shows a more pristine image.

My suggestion is aim for mid or late afternoon when the males are starting to tire and can be found nectaring. Stake out a patch of Bugle and wait for them to come to you. If you are worried about self isolating, the woods were very quiet, I only saw one other person in the time I was there.

A better specimen from 2018

It was also nice to get a decent shot of a Lesser Treble-bar, one of the day flying moths.

Lesser Treble-bar

Having found my main target for the day I decided to call in at Kithurst Meadow, on the way home, to see what else was about. The Duke of Burgundy is a much more accommodating butterfly. It doesn't fly very far or very fast and seems quite happy to pose for pictures although not always on such a good perch as the one below.

Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy

Dingy Skippers were easy to find but the only Chequered Skippers  I saw were two that were involved in an aerial skirmish which gradually took them away down the hill and out of sight.

Dingy Skipper

Also a Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

 and back home one of the many Holly Blues we have had in the garden this year.

Holly Blue

Holly Blue open wing shot

Not a bad start to the butterfly year but the most impressive thing is the continuing recovery of both the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and the Duke of Bugundys. Work in West Sussex by the Butterfly Conservation Organisation and some of the more enlightened landowners is really starting to have an impact.