High Brown or Dark Green Fritillary

[plaw]

This picture was taken in Holme Park Quarry LNR, Cumbria on 12th July. High Brown Fritillary were being reported close by and we initially assumed it was one. But after carefully checking our pictures we decided it was probably Dark Green. Unfortunately we didn't get any underside pictures as the butterfly was warming up early in the day.

Now I have been comparing it with published pictures in these forums and it looks much closer to ageing High Brown except for the third black dot from the top of the forewings. This is bigger than in most pictures or illustrations of High Brown I have seen. My companion that day majored on this dot as a key diagnostic, saying it should be slightly out of alignment with the others in High Brown. The sex brands on veins 2 and 3 look quite pronounced in my picture, per Thomas and Lewington and the antennae also look browner toned than pictures of Dark Green I have taken previously.

This was the only High Brown candidate we found in three days searching Arnside Knott and a location cited as Holme Stinted Pastures on BC Cumbria's sightings page. All the Fritillaries we found at the latter site were Dark Green and we wondered if these had been mis-reported.

[David M]

That's a Dark Green Fritillary. Looks to be a female.