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This is a Pearl bordered Fritillary a specie that is in decline in the UK. Devon is a stronghold for the species and Butterfly Conservation in Devon has played a massive part in it's success. I have had a busy week with wildlife but I am working on sensitive projects which means that I can't post too much here which is a real shame but you just can't take the safety of some species for granted. So, for the time being here are a few photos of a really lovely butterfly, in itself a sensitive species. There is the dichotomy, the more rare and sensitive a species is, the more interesting it is to publish on the blog and then there is the question of giving away locations which could have massive impacts on the safety of the species you want to talk about.
Pearl Bordered Fritillary are on the wing at the moment. They prefer specific habitat which should include cleared scrub on the edge of woodland. They lay their eggs individually and low on the ground near to, or on the leaf of a Dog Violet like the one on the picture below.
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The egg hatches in to a small black larva which overwinters in the micro climate "under scrub". To insure against very low temperatures they have a natural anti-freeze. Early the following spring the larvae pupate in to a cacoon, emerging as a Butterfly in late April and May to begin the life-cycle once more.
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The Pearl Bordered is named for the 7 white "pearls" on the underwing which you can count on the image below. I find the underwings of all the fritillary species a very attractive feature.
Its worth reiterating that without the work of the people in Butterfly Conservation, and others like them, rare and scarce species would struggle to thrive and I, for one, am very grateful for the work they do for little or no reward.
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