Fritillary butterfly

Here is a photo of a Fritillary butterfly, taken by one of our volunteers near the Tyndale Monument at North Nibley.

Photo Derek Hore

It could be a Silver-washed Fritillary or a Dark Green Fritillary, depending on the colour on the underside of its wings.

Could we attract some of these striking butterflies to Filnore Woods? That's about 10 miles away in a straight line 'as the crow flies.'

(or should I say 'as the butter flies?')

The Silver-washed likes woodland and the Dark Green prefers flower-rich grassland, but they both depend on violets as a food plant for their caterpillars.  

And at Filnore Woods . . . .violets we have.

They flower in spring at the same time as primroses but it's the leaves that the fritillary caterpillars eat.

We even have white violets.

Violet photos: Simon Harding