D of B Fritillary

Special features: The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary is a brown coloured butterfly with orange spots and a broken white border.

Despite the name this is not really a fritillary. True fritillaries belong to the family "nymphalidae. The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary belongs to the family "Nemeobiide", mostly found in south America. In the 1700's it was known as Mr. Vernon's Small Fritillary.

Latin name: Hamearis lucina

Size: Wingspan approximately 32mm

Distribution: Scarce. Found in a few locations south of Yorkshire.

Months seen: May and June

Food: Nectar. The brown, hairy caterpillars feed on cowslips and primroses

Habitat: Meadows, woodland clearings and places where the caterpillars foodplants grow.