Regional Species


Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Boloria euphrosyne

Photograph by Rob Whitehead

Regional Species

This is one of our scarcest species and one that has declined alarmingly throughout Britain. The Butterfly Conservation reserve at Eyarth Rocks may now hold the last colony in North Wales and considerable effort has been devoted to improving the habitat there, specifically to benefit this species. Due to confusion with the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary it will never be known how widespread the butterfly used to be in North Wales but some of the older records were from knowledgeable people who were unlikely to have been mistaken. The conclusion is that the butterfly used to be widely distributed but that all other sites have been destroyed by overgrazing, afforestation or the complete exclusion of livestock from woodland resulting eventually in a closed canopy. Note that the High Brown Fritillary and the Silver-washed Fritillary have also been lost from North Wales for similar reasons.

Adults fly in the spring and early summer. Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) is the usual larval foodplant.

A very careful examination of the underwing pattern is essential to be sure of identifying this butterfly correctly. The larger size and earlier flight period, relative to the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, provide a clue but not the means for a definite identification.