Male, Switzerland, July 2006
Male, with wood white, Switzerland, July 2006
Male, France, August 2008
Female, France, August 2008
Male, Switzerland
Mating pair, Switzerland
Female of the green form, valezina, France 2004
Green female, valezina, Switzerland 2006
This is a majestic insect, the true aristocrat among the fritillaries.
Although reasonably common in woodland throughout Europe, it is always
arresting, commanding attention as it swoops and soars along rides or
feeds on nectar sources. The green female form generally occurs in
fixed proportion in particular communities, but the ratio varies from
almost zero (near me in Switzerland, for example) to 50:50, as in the
site in Provence where I photographed the one above.