Dark Green Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2015

[Wurzel]

Dark Green Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 4

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2015!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks Wurzel,
Out hunting for Apollo in the Pyrennees in June this year, I came across a DGF and completely neglected my initial mission. It was only once that DGF images were in the can that I could concentrate on the Apollo. They are both just as desirable.

Panasonic FZ150 on full zoom !!
Chris

[MikeOxon]

All my DGF photos for 2015 were taken when I was searching for High Browns so, under such circumstances, it's hard to describe one as a 'favourite'! I like this photo but would like it a lot more if it were a HBF

Old Castle Down, Bridgend - 4th July 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/500s@f/7.1 ISO400

Mike

[bugboy]

Two favs for me with DGF, the first for the sheer vibrancy of the colour and the second because it was the first one of this species that ever allowed me to get so close (getting it early in the day helped a lot with that!)

[Neil Freeman]

With Dark Green Fritillaries not being found around my local patch this is a species that I usually see whilst travelling further afield, either on of our 3 night trips somewhere or during on of our week long family breaks.
This year I saw them twice, on our stay down in the Heddon Valley in late June, and then again a month later when we went up to Gait Barrows/Arnside. From both locations my favourite photos are undersides of what were actually fairly worn individuals.

Dark Green Fritillary - Heddon Valley 30.06.2015

Dark Green Fritillary - Arnside Knott 30.07.2015

cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

I didn't see as many of this species as I normally do mainly because the worst of the 'summer' weather coincided with their emergence in the second week of June. That said, there were still a fair few active on my visits to the Alun Valley site near Bridgend. This individual posed nicely on a thistle:

...and this female was abnormally dark and most attractive:

[millerd]

I make a point of visiting Box Hill as often as I can when these delightful butterflies appear. I could watch them for hours, and often do! Here are a couple of favourites, one from 24th June and one from 5th July.

On the second visit, I was lucky enough to find a mating pair, but a decent photo was hard to come by as they wedged themselves down in the grass well out of sight.

I also came across a splendid male at Denbies on the same June date.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Dark Green Fritillary

This was taken on one of my visits with my girls to Broughton Down and so could rate as my favourite for this reason alone. However, I also like the colouring on this one with the purple veins showing through and white leading edges to the fore wings hinting at a slight albinism. It was also the prelude to some great Silver-spotted Skipper spotting so another reason to choose it as my favourite shot.

Have a goodun

Wurzel