High and Dry

[Devon Dave]

On an unassuming walk on Dartmoor today,to my great surprise I spotted a largish Fritillary high up in a very tall bush about 3 meters up, so got a quick snap before it flew off into oblivion.(Pointed to with my red arrow).
Checking my photo tonight, and cropping it twice heavily to get a better view, I am pretty sure it is a Dark Green, but being so high up perhaps it was a "High Brown" Ha Ha.
Any ideas out there ?

[Padfield]

To be honest, it looks more like a small pearl-bordered fritillary to me, though that doesn't fit with the 'large fritillary' description!

Guy

[bugboy]

Guy beat me to it but that was my instant gut feeling. The chevrons along the edge of the hindwing look too well defined and the forewings too rounded for it to be either DGF or HBF.

[millerd]

Looks like SPBF to me too. Usual flight periods tend to confirm this as well: they fly in the same areas as DGF and HBF on Dartmoor, are out first, and would be on the wing now - whereas the other two are likely to appear in a couple of weeks or so.

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

SPBFs were flying at a site at Grantown-on-Spey on Thursday. That site also has DGF later (and Northern Brown Argus).
I was put on to the site (near the disused railway station) by Katrina and others.

Jack

[David M]

SPBF for me too. Can't be anything else.