Something different from the bird life around us at the moment, These Marsh Fritillary butterflies are active about now having hibernated over winter , the Larval stage ( caterpillar and Pupae ) lasts for over 6 months.
These are a few images of the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly taken a few weeks back when the sun was trying to come out.They were taken at Aberbargoed grasslands only a couple of hundred meters away from the town center .
This is an extract taken from UK Butterflies – ” Colonies of this butterfly are known to fluctuate wildly in numbers. It may be present in some numbers one year, for the population to crash the following year before recovering as unexpectedly. This species does not do well in adverse weather conditions and also suffers greatly from larval parasitism by an Apanteles species of wasp. Unfortunately, this charming butterfly is one of our most threatened species and has suffered severe declines in recent decades.” http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk
With conditions as they are this year it will be interesting to see how they do.
The Nature of Wales - Mostly !!
