Feisty Fritillaries

Fragile Ecological Bubbles - the Heath Fritillaries of Exmoor

The remote, wild valleys known as combes, high on the moorlands of Exmoor in the UK's West Country are the unlikely sanctuary of the rare little heath fritillary Mellicta athalia. This butterfly is now only found in a few valleys on Exmoor and woodland clearings in localised areas of Devon, Cornwall and Kent and has been in serious decline for decades. Better news is that this rather feisty butterfly seems to be making a comeback today, thanks to a better understanding of its life cycle and concerted conservation efforts over recent years.

Female heath fritillary sunning on bracken at Bin Combe

I say feisty because, on a June visit to Bin Combe, which begins its descent just a hundred and fifty feet below Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor, I not only saw heath fritillaries but shared my lunch with one and gained first hand experience of another!

I remember a boiled ham bagel was in my lunchbox that day and it seemed to prove irresistible to this handsome male. I was sure he would fly off as soon as I moved the slightest bit but, after quietly admiring his beautifully chequered underwings, hardly daring to breathe in fact, I decided to risk trying a couple of one-handed frames and slowly picked up my camera.

Operating a heavy pro Canon camera with one hand whilst holding a bagel eating butterfly in a sandwich box with the other is less than easy. The key to a successful shot was to focus by moving the butterfly rather than the lens, which I managed to do while the butterfly was enthusiastically tucking into my lunch.

After this unplanned dinner for two, I carried on butterfly hunting and found reassuringly good numbers of heath fritillaries and other more common species in the deep valley, along with dragonflies, damselflies and other insects.

And when I stopped to rest later on, I was delighted when another male landed on my hand, dabbing at the salt and moisture with his proboscis!

I would have preferred him to sit on my left hand to pose for a photo but I could hardly ask him to swap hands, though I can tell you that operating a heavy pro Canon camera with your left hand when you are right handed is even more difficult than the other way round!

Under the circumstances I was happy to get these photographs, which may not be great butterfly in habitat shots but they do show why it often pays to let wildlife come to you rather than chasing around after it.

They also remind us how fortunate we are to have this endearing and attractive little butterfly back from the brink of extinction in the UK.