 Wingspan
58 - 68mm |
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Dark Green Fritillary
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Argynnis aglaja
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Linnaeus, 1758 |
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Ref: 1607 |
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| Superfamily: | Papilionoidea |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Argynninae |
| Genus: | Argynnis |
| Subgenus: | |
| Species: | aglaja |
| Subspecies: | aglaja (Linnaeus, 1758) | | Forms: | scotica (Watkins, 1923) |
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Male |
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Male Underside |
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Female |
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Female Underside |
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The Dark Green Fritillary is the most widespread fritillary found in the British Isles and is a pleasure to see as it flies powerfully over its grassland habitats, frequently stopping to nectar on Thistles and Knapweed. It gets its name from the green hue found on the underside of the hindwings, which are peppered with large silver spots. Subspecies: aglaja This subspecies occurs through the range of the species, with the exception of Ireland, Scotland (although it is found in southern Scotland), and the Isle of Man. Form: scotica This form is found in Ireland, Scotland (except southern Scotland), and the Isle of Man. This female of this form is darker than normal females.
This butterfly can be found throughout the British Isles, especially in coastal areas. It is the only fritillary found in the Orkneys and Outer Hebrides. Despite its powerful flight, it is somewhat surprising that this species is not particularly mobile, staying within its breeding grounds.
Adults generally emerge in the middle of June, reaching a peak in early July. In northern Scotland, adults emerge a little later at the end of June, reaching a peak at the end of July and early August. There is one generation each year. Subspecies: aglaja 
Form: scotica 
The characteristic habitat of this butterfly is open, windswept calcareous grassland. However, in some areas it can also be found in woodland clearings and coastal dunes.
The primary larval foodplants are Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana), Hairy Violet (Viola hirta) and Marsh Violet (Viola palustris).
Adults feed primarily on Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.). Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris) and Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.) are also used.
Both sexes are avid nectar feeders and typically feed in early morning or late afternoon, when they will constantly fly from flower head to flower head staying at each flower for only a few seconds. This behaviour makes them very difficult to observe and it is sometimes easier to find a favourite flower and wait for a butterfly to come to you! The males are the more conspicuous of the two sexes, and can be seen patrolling over large areas of habitat looking for a virgin female which often rest low down in vegetation. Once found, mating takes place almost immediately. A mating pair may be found resting on vegetation and will even continue to nectar while coupled. Females are somewhat-easier to see when egg-laying, where they intersperse periods of nectaring with basking and bouts of egg-laying, when they will crawl deep in vegetation, searching out the lushest growths of larval foodplant before laying a single egg, although several eggs are often laid in the same area. Subspecies: aglaja
Form: scotica
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Dark Green Fritillary - Female Upperside - 12/07/2007 - Whitespots Country Park, Co Down, Northern Ireland
Photo © Dave McCormick
12-Jul-2007 |
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Description to be completed
Eggs are laid either directly on the foodplant, or on a suitable platform nearby, such as a twig, grass stem or dead leaf. Eggs are yellow when first laid but turn a dark purple after a few days and, eventually, a dark grey just before the larva emerges. This stage lasts between 2 and 3 weeks.
The larva eats the eggshell on hatching and immediately enters hibernation in a curled up leaf or other piece of debris. The larva emerges in the spring and starts to feed on the tenderest new growth of the foodplant, either eating large chunks out of the leaf lobes, or eating the leaf entirely with the stem left standing. The larva is most active during sunny periods and can often be seen wandering across bare ground or short turf in search of the foodplant. The mature larva has a distinct colouring, being mostly black with a feint yellow band running down its back and a series of red spots running down each side. There are 5 moults in total.
The larva creates a loose tent by drawing together several leaves and other pieces of vegetation together. The pupa is formed upside down, secured to the top of the tent by the cremaster. This stages lasts between 3 and 4 weeks, depending on the weather.
The Dark Green Fritillary and High Brown Fritillary are most easily distinguished by their undersides, since only the High Brown Fritillary has a row of "ocelli" just inside the outer margin. In addition, as the name suggests, the High Brown Fritillary has a predominately brown hue to the underside, whereas the Dark Green Fritillary is predominately green.
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| Dark Green Fritillary |
High Brown Fritillary |
It is much more difficult to distinguish the Dark Green Fritillary from the High Brown Fritillary based on their uppersides. However, as can be seen in the figures below, the first row of dots inside the upperwing border does give a clue - the 3rd dot from the apex of the forewing is in line with the other dots in the Dark Green Fritillary, but indented in the High Brown Fritillary.
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| Dark Green Fritillary |
High Brown Fritillary |
Description to be completed
Description to be completed
Click here to see the distribution of this species overlaid with specific site information. Alternatively, select one of the sites listed below. |
 | Aberffraw Dunes, Arnside Knott, Barkbooth Lot, Cambus O'May, Dinas Dinlle Sand Dunes, Gait Barrows, Linn Dean, Sharpenhoe Clappers, Warton Crag, Whitbarrow NNR |  | Allt Mhuic Nature Reserve, Braunton Burrows, Crook Peak, East Prawle coast, Great Orme, Havant Thicket, Hutton Roof Crags, Martin Down, Old Castle Down, Penhale Dunes, Stockbridge Down, Winterton NNR |  | Durlston Country Park, Old Winchester Hill, Priddy Mineries |  | Fontmell Down |  | | | Not rated | Ardley Quarry, Badbury Rings, Ballard Down, Balnaguard Glen, Ben Vrackie, Bicton Common, Birkhill forest, Birling Gap, Black Rock, Bolt Head, Bovey Valley Woodlands, Brackett's Coppice, Brean Down, Broughton Down, Buttler's Hangings, Cashel, Cerne Hill Giant, Chinnor Hill, Cissbury Ring, Clatworthy Reservoir, Clubmen's Down, Cockey Down, Compton Down, Craigower Hill, Cudden Point, Culbin, Dancersend, Deepdale, Drigg Dunes, Dunsford Meadow, Eaglehead Copse, Earl's Hill, East Budleigh Common, Fackenden Downs, Fen Bog, Feshie Bridge, Glasdrum Wood, Glen Doll Forest, Great Torrington Commons, Ham Common, Headley Heath, Heddon Valley, Hembury Woods, Hod Hill, Holtspur Valley Reserves, Horsey Gap, Hutchinsons Bank, Ivinghoe, Jerry's Hole, Jubilee Rifle Range, Kenfig Pool, Kingcombe Redholm, Lathkill Dale, Loch an Eilean, Loch Ard Forest, Loch Fleet, Loch of Aboyne, Lough Bunny, Lydlinch Common, Mabie Forest, Moors Valley Country Park, Morrone Birkwood, New Bridge, Oxwich, Pamphill Moor, Polhill Bank, Prestbury Hill, Prestwood Picnic Site, Ringstead Bay, Ross Links, Saltbox Hill, Saltfleetby - Theddlethorpe Dunes, Seven Barrows, Slievenacloy, Stubhampton Bottom, Tentsmuir Point, Townsend Quarry, Trosley Country Park, Ubley Warren, Umbra, Walton Common, Warburg Reserve, Watersmeet, West Down, West Hook Cliffs, White Hill Reserve, Woodhall Dean, Ynys-Hir |
Although this species has declined considerably since the 1970s, especially in eastern England, the butterfly remains our most widespread fritillary and is not considered a priority species for conservation efforts. |
| Not Listed |  |  |
From The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) (2007 review).
The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.
The species description provided here has been derived from the author's own observations and the information contained in the following works:
- A Natural History of British Butterflies, by F.W.Frohawk.
- British and Irish Butterflies, by Adrian M. Riley
- South's British Butterflies, by T.G.Howarth (which is based extensively on the classic work, "The Butterflies of the British Isles", by Richard South).
- The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington.
- The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, by Jim Asher, Martin Warren, Richard Fox, Paul Harding, Gail Jeffcoate, Stephen Jeffcoate.
- The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 7 (1) Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae (the Butterflies), by A. Maitland Emmet and John Heath (editors).
- The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, Richard Fox, Jim Asher, Tom Brereton, David Roy and Martin Warren.
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