Marsh Fritillary
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 Euphydryas aurinia, northern Portugal.
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| Euphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775) |
The Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.
The Marsh Fritillary is in decline in Europe and one of 11 butterflies covered by the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan.
The adult butterflies are marked in checkered marking of gold and brown with a black background. The underside of the wings is patterned with yellow orange and black without any silver coloration at all.
The Marsh Fritillary is usually to be found in damp heathy grasslands which are called Rhos Pastures from the Welsh word Rhos meaning Heath. but the species does exist in other types of habitats which are drier, like neutral grasslands or dry calcareous grasslands. Small populations may be seen where there is not a lot of the larval foodplant present. Small populations can be an important element of the ecology because they can produce lots of mobile individuals which can found other populations.
The Marsh Fritillary is protected under British Law. It is listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The butterflies fly from the April until July depending on latitude and altitude. The eggs are laid in groups on the underside of the foodplant Devil's Bit Scabious (Succissa pratensis). The young caterpillars live in communal webs that are spun across the foodplant. In the autumn they make stronger webs where they will start to hibernate.
In the spring the caterpillars start to disperse after their last molt. They change colour from brown black and may be occasionally seen basking in the sun. They need to be warm in order to eat.
Research work on the population dynamics of the Marsh Fritillary has shown that they live in Metapopulations. A metapopulation is defined as a collection of local populations that are connected together as a result of occasional dispersal. Amongst these some will disappear and others will be founded."
Usually the Marsh Fritillary lives in small populations that tend to die out and new populations are founded from nearby sites. An important feature of metapopulations is that there will always be empty habitat within the system. It is possible for the majority of the habitat patches to be empty. The security of suitable places where the butterfly does not presently occur is essential to its survival in the long term.
[edit] External links
- Marsh Fritillary in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
- Butterfly Conservation run a project devoted to the conservation of this butterfly.
- Devon Wildlife Trust manages a number of strongholds for the species including Volehouse Moor, Dunsdon and Vealand farm
