Marsh Fritillary. Photo: Nigel Spring
A smaller, but very pretty Fritillary, declining over the country but doing quite well in Dorset, thanks to lots of work on its behalf.
There is an interesting article on surveying Marsh Fritillaries by looking for their caterpillars’ webs, by Martin Warren.
Where to see
- Habitat: Two different habitats: damp unimproved meadows with light grazing or dry chalk/limstone downland which is left untended or just lightly grazed. Either has to have plenty of its caterpillar's foodplant, so it either has to be lightly grazed or on poor soil to stop the Devil's-bit Scabious from becoming overgrown by other vegetation..
- Caterpillar foodplants: Devil's-bit Scabious
- Best places: The best ‘new’ downland sites, which were only colonised from the 1920s, can be found at Clubmens Down in the North and Cerne Giant Hill in the West. The best orthodox ‘marshy’ sites can be visited in the West at Brackett’s Coppice and at our own growing Alners Gorse reserve. Lydlinch Common in the north is a prime ‘marshy’ site where work to provide a good habitat has been ongoing for many years. It is found in lesser numbers elsewhere, though not in the East or South of Dorset.
Distribution map
Marsh Fritillary was recorded from these 1km squares in Dorset (2015-19).
- Key:
- 1 record
- 2-9 records
- 10+ records
When to see
Mainly May, but into June in lesser numbers.
Sightings by month (last 5 years)*
This year and last*
What to look for
This is much smaller than the Dark Green or Silver-Washed Fritillary. It is around the same size as the Small Pearl-bordered, but the latter is limited to one site in Dorset.
It has more colours than any of the other Fritillaries, with cream added to the orange and brown and the colours looping in regular bands around the four upperwings. It is the only Fritillary to have a row of small dark dots within orange boxes, which are on both sides of the hindwing.
The male and female are similar in markings though the female may be slightly paler and will usually be larger.
The numbers of this species in both types of habitat fluctuate a lot from year to year due to the attentions of parasitic wasps so don’t be surprised if your visit coincides with a bad year for the butterfly!
Photo gallery
Click thumbnails to view full-size images.
Marsh Fritillary. Note the small dark dots towards the rear of the hindwings, which no other Fritillary has. Photo: Richard Belding
Marsh Fritillary. Photo: Brian Arnold.
Marsh Fritillary female, showing how small this butterfly is. Photo: Ken Dolbear
Marsh Fritillaries on orchids, showing their small size. Photo: Charles Williams
Marsh Fritillary - an unusual view of the underside, clearly showing the line of small dark dots. Photo: Ken Dolbear
Marsh Fritillaires mating. Note the larger size of the female to the top. Photo: Mark Pike.
Marsh Fritillaries mating; the larger butterfly to the right is the female. Photo: Ken Dolbear.
Marsh Fritillary larvae. Photo: Dave Law
Marsh Fritillary 3rd instar larvae. Photo: Martin Warren
Marsh Fritillary eggs. Photo: Donald Simcock