A treat to watch a special butterfly

Iwent with a few friends to Peacehaven in East Sussex to see a rare butterfly called a Queen of Spain Fritillary. It was all a bit bizarre as 10 of us assembled on some private farmland (with kind permission of the farmer) trying to take picture of the butterfly as it flew around a bonfire site on a grassy slope. The butterfly and two other male Queen of Spain fritillaries had been there for a few days.

They have chestnut colouring on the wings with black dots and markings, but it is the silvery angular blocks on the underside of the wings when at rest, which make the species unmistakable and quite memorable.

The butterfly was named in 1775 by Moses Harris and the name remains a mystery – maybe because it reminded him of the jewellery of royalty. This rare butterfly has tried to colonise Britain several times in the last 20 years and multiple sightings at Minsmere, Suffolk in 1999, Eastbourne in 2009 and now Peacheaven in 2017 shows the species is trying its best. The butterfly is found in northern France.

They are usually seen here in years of warm summers or influxes of other butterflies or moths from the continent for which 2017 has been a very good year. They lay their eggs on wild pansies and violets.

For more information contact Owen Leyshon, Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership, telephone 01797 367934 or log on to www.rmcp.co.uk