Silver-washed fritillary

 

Silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

This large butterfly flew into the sitting room on Monday morning, completed a couple of circuits and then fluttered out again. It then flew about as if looking for somewhere to perch and I wondered if it was looking for a place to lay its eggs.

The Silver-washed fritillary was named because of the silver streaks on the underside of its wings and is on the wing from late June to early August. It can be seen on heaths, moors, meadows, gardens, and in broad-leaved woods, particularly oak woods. It breeds in shady woodland in the south of England. 

 It is widespread in southern England and Wales and is seen more locally in northern England and Ireland. Though its population declined in the twentieth century it is not classed as endangered and is ‘of least concern.’ Numbers have increased during the first years of the twenty-first century.