Advanced Butterfly Identification, Fritillaries.
back to Vanessids
(Family Nymphalidae)
Large, usually orangey-brown with squarish black spots on top (hence the name Fritillary from the Latin 'Fritillus' meaning a dice-box) and many squarish 'cells' of white, orange or brown on the underwings. They are some of the most difficult of our native butterflies to tell apart. In North Wales you will find just 6 Fritillaries
See the Regional Species page for more details of habitats, life cycles and distribution.
Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)
Fritillaries;
(The Nymphalidae family)
The Fritillaries are in the Nymphalidae family together with Vanessids, but the Fritillaries are much less commonly seen because they tend to need very specific habitats. Most of them need wild violets for the caterpillars to feed on. We are lucky in North Wales to have some of these rare Fritillaries - in fact our first Reserve, at Eyarth Rocks near Ruthin was bought by Butterfly Conservation in 2001 especially because it is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary in Wales. See Reserves to find out more.
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
The Pearl-bordered and the Small Pearl-bordered are the two most difficult to tell apart. There is a slight size difference, but you often do not see these two species flying together. (see the last page of this workshop for a flight table that shows the different times of year that different species fly)
The colour difference is not nearly so great in the wild as between these photos taken in different light. On the top wing you be able to see markings resembling the numbers ''730' on the Small Pearl-bordered. The only way to be certain is to see the underwings, however.
(photos; Janet Graham)
Pearl-bordered Fritillary, underwing (Boloria euphrosyne)
Note the single white cell in the middle of the wing and the small black dot beneath it.
(photo Rob Whitehead)
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, underwing (Boloria selene)
Note more white cells in the middle than the Pearl-bordered (though these are not always easy to see) and the black dot closer to the body is larger than in the Pearl-bordered.
Dark-Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)
One of our more common Fritillaries, but still not seen very often. It is a fast flyer that tends to fly high up - you will see it as quite orange and flitting from a distance. It has a distinct greenish tinge to the body edge of the underwing.
(Photo. Peter Rathbone)
Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
This Fritillary is perhaps the most distinctive and easiest to tell apart from the other five. It is also one of the rarest - the caterpillar needing to feed on Devil's Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) and then hibernate in webs on large grassy tufts. Butterfly Conservation's only other Welsh Reserve is for this species, in South Wales at Caeau Ffos Fach.
Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
Our largest and one of our most spectacular butterflies in North Wales. Solitary and able to inhabit darker woods, it is strong flying and may cover considerable distances. It has not been frequently recorded in any part of North Wales, but we think it may still be around. It has a more streaky, blurred, greenish pattern to its underwings, but you will know it if you see it from its sheer size.
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