Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Boloria selene
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Named for the row of silver 'pearls' along the edge of the underwing.
A medium-small orange fritillary chequered with black, whose underside hindwing carries a row of seven silver pearl-like spots along the margin and several more across the wing. It favours damp, sheltered grassland, bracken slopes and marshy ground with violets, and south-west Scotland is an important area for a species that has been lost from much of England.
Behaviour
The flight is low, quick and skipping over rough vegetation, with frequent stops to nectar on thistle, bugle and buttercup. Females lay near marsh violet and common dog-violet, and the caterpillar overwinters part-grown low in the vegetation. It needs a mix of damp ground, violets and light grazing, and disappears where land is drained or grazing stops entirely.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae)
- Wingspan
- 3.5–4.5 cm
- Status
- A conservation priority; south-west Scotland is a stronghold
Photo by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons