Silver-washed fritillary

The silver-washed fritillary is a stunning butterfly that inhabits the Palaearctic ecozone, encompassing regions such as Algeria, Europe, temperate Asia, and Japan. Its remarkable deep orange wings, marked with black spots and boasting a wingspan of 54-70 mm, make it a truly captivating sight. Generally, males are smaller and lighter in color compared to females. The undersides of their wings are green with distinctive silver streaks, while their caterpillars are black-brown with yellow lines and reddish-brown spines.

Male silver-washed fritillaries possess specialized scent scales on their forewings to attract females. As adults, these butterflies feed on nectar from plants like bramble, thistles, and knapweeds, and they also enjoy aphid honeydew. They flourish in sunny, open deciduous woodlands, especially those with oak trees. The common dog violet serves as the primary food source for their larvae.

Intriguingly, female silver-washed fritillaries lay their eggs not on the ground but in the crevices of tree bark above the woodland floor, close to violets. The caterpillars hatch in August and hibernate until spring. Upon awakening, they feed on violets near the base of the trees. After pupating among the ground vegetation, the adults emerge in June.

There are several subspecies of the silver-washed fritillary, each found in different regions. In the UK, these butterflies experienced a decline during the 1970s and 1980s but have recently begun to repopulate their former habitats.