9
Queen of Spain Fritillary (Argynnis lathonia) at Bradwell-on-Sea
By the end of July 1995 most of Britain was enjoying (or enduring - depending on your
point of view) a prolonged period of hot, diy weather which began in the third week of
June and was to continue unbroken until the end of August. The various anticyclones
which were responsible for this heat wave arrived both from the east and the west and the
winds circulating around them were more often than not cool northwesterlies or
easterlies. There was no real push of southerly air from the Mediterranean and this was
reflected by the dearth of common migrant butterflies such as Red Admirals and Painted
Ladies in the weeks following the onset of the hot weather. Moth migration had also
been poor, the two Oak Processionary (Thaumetopoea processionea) recorded at nearby
Curry Farm N.R. (the first County record of this exceptionally rare migrant from central
and southern Europe) being unaccomanied by more regular wanderers from the Continent
apart from a few Dark Sword Grass (Agrotis ipsilon), Small Mottled Willow (Spodoptera
exigua) and Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella).
Thus it came as something of a surprise when, on the morning of July 23rd, a Queen of
Spain Fritillary appeared on one of the Buddleia bushes growing outside the Bird
Observatory. Indeed, it sent the teacups flying as, blythely unaware of the consternation it
was causing, it supped nectar alongside a wide variety of resident species including
Large, Small and Essex Skippers; Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Small
Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Holly Blue plus at least four
Red Admirals and a single Painted Lady. The distinctive pattern of large silvery spots on
the underside of the hind wing make this one of the easiest fritillaries to identify and,
fortunately, it is a butterfly that I am familiar with following recent visits to the Pindhos
Mountains, Greece and Taurus Mountains, Turkey.
After watching it for about three minutes 1 made an error of judgement by deciding to try
and catch it. The reason was that several other visitors to the Observatory were out
walking and I was afraid that the fritillary would disappear before they returned.
Although showing no signs of wear, the tips of the wings in particular looked transparent
and in my anxiety not to damage it I allowed to escape from the net. It almost
immediately returned to the Buddleia but was obviously unsettled and after a few seconds
it departed, never to be seen again.
This appeals to have been the first recorded sighting in Essex for nearly eighty years, the
last occurrence being of two at Colchester in 1918 (Firmin, Pyman et al, 1975). It has
now been accepted as such by the Lepidoptera panel of the E.F.C. Subsequently, there
were a number of other sightings in East Anglia. Their appearance coincided with the
arrival of several thousand Yellow-winged Darter dragonflies (Sympetrum flaveolum)
along the south and east coasts of England, of which Bradwell's share was just two, on
August 5th/6th. These also had a southern origin whilst the Camberwell Beauty
(Nymphalis antiopa) - including one that was eventually seen by many people in a garden
at Maldon - and Great Brocade (Eurois occulta) - among which were two at Curry Farm
N.R. - which arrived around the same time, came from Scandinavia, reflecting the
variable winds during July and August. Subsequently, both Red Admirals and Painted
Ladies became much more numerous in the area, with up to forty of the latter at Curry
Farm.
Graham Smith