Argynnis paphia
This is a fairly common species of sunny, woodland rides and glades. In Sussex, the only confusion species is Dark Green Fritillary, but the latter is usually found on open downland and there are few locations in the county where the two species may be found flying side-by-side. The background colour of a Silver-washed Fritillary is pale orange (much darker in DGFs) and the flight characteristics of the two species are quite different (but you do need to see a few of each, before that is apparent).
Most colonies are fairly small and number in the tens but in a good year some woods may hold one to two hundred individuals, as a peak daily count. Some adults do wander away from their woodland habitat, and they are occasional visitors to our gardens, where they are drawn irresistibly to Buddleia (and Hemp Agrimony and Field Scabious, should you be a wildlife gardener!).
There is one generation a year with the first adults emerging in mid-June. The flight period covers the rest of the summer months, with a few stragglers recorded in the first half of September.
To name just a few, Abbot’s Wood, Beckley Wood, Eartham Wood, Graffham Down Trust reserves and Southwater Woods. If you are struggling to see one, then position yourself next to a large clump of Bramble flowers or thistles, in a sunny glade or wide, woodland ride and be prepared to wait for 10-15 minutes. Your patience is likely to be rewarded.
Female Silver-washed Fritillary with open wings – photo by David Cook
Male with open wings – photo by Nicholas Turner
Nectaring on Blackberry blossom – photo by Dave Brown
Nectaring on Blackberry blossom – photo by Dave Brown
Female form “Valezina” – photo by Neil Hulme
A mating pair – photo by David Cook
Butterfly Conservation Silver-washed Fritillary
