Sunday 1 June 2014

Marsh Fritillary.

There are butterflies that can no longer be seen on the Isle of Wight and the Marsh Fritillary is one of them..As a breeding species it disappeared some years ago, so in order to see it now I took a trip to Dorset where it can still be found at several locations
I chose Hod Hill situated north of the town of Blandford Forum,at a site and owned by the National Trust.Here is a vast Iron Age hill fort comprised of ditches where lush vegetation and wooded banks are home to numerous species of butterfly.The Marsh Fritillary is resident at Hod Hill so a wander around would hopefully produce a sighting.I  soon came across Small Blue ,Dingy & Grizzled Skipper,Common Blue,and Speckled Wood.The weather was not as good as predicted and it could only be described as bright but cloudy.After an hour and a half of searching  the first Marsh Fritillary was seen in a sheltered grassy ditch away from the brisk breeze





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