Species of the Month June 2019

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene

 

A beautiful fast-flying Fritillary with a stronghold in Wales, this butterfly gets its name from the series of "pearls" that run along the outside edge of the underside of the hindwing. This makes the underside of the wing is particularly distinctive, and it features in the SEWBReC logo. The main confusion species is Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne), a species which unfortunately no longer occurs in south-east Wales. However, if you are unsure about which species you have seen, you can see comparative photos from NatureScot.

We have 999 records of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary at SEWBReC (c500 from the last 20 years), though the species is probably more widespread than current data holdings indicate, and we would be very interested to learn of new colonies. You can view the known Welsh distribution of here on Aderyn. More information is available from Butterfly Conservation and UK Butterflies.

If you spot Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary during June (or at any other time of year), please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.