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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
Although the Marsh fritillary has highly variable markings it is a distinctive species which is only likely to be confused with the Heath Fritillary which tends to be more uniform in colour. The Marsh Fritillary by contrast is more brightly coloured with bands of black and orange with paler orange spots. The wings are darker towards the body.
Stonger darker markings are found in colonies from Scotland and Ireland.
The Marsh Fritillary is a Priority Species for conservation due to the continued loss of habitat and resulting drop in population.
Habitat
The Marsh Fritillary is found in open grassy locations especially damp grassland that is dominated by tussock-forming grasses. It can also be found on calcareous grassland and heaths.
Small colonies may also exist in large woodland clearings where the larval food plant Devil's-bit Scabious grows.
Larval Food Plants
Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) is the main larval foodplant for the Marsh Fritillary. The larvae spin webs and feed in a group.
The larvae may also feed on Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) and Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria). |
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 24 photographs of the Marsh Fritillary in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB1526 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1525 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1524 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1523 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1522 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1521 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1520 - Marsh Fritillary
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BB1519 - Marsh Fritillary
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| Distribution |
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| The Marsh Fritillary was once a widespread butterfly in Britain and Ireland but has declined severely over the twentieth century. Similar declines have occured throughout Europe. Populations of Marsh Fritillary vary from year to year and are highly volatile requiring a network of habitats for its long term survival. |
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| Where to see the Marsh Fritillary |
The Marsh Fritillary was once a widespread butterfly in Britain and Ireland but has declined severely over the twentieth century. Similar declines have occured throughout Europe. Populations of Marsh Fritillary vary from year to year and are highly volatile requiring a network of habitats for its long term survival.
Key sites for the Marsh Fritillary include:
Carmarthenshire: Caeau Ffos Fach near Cross Hands (A Butterfly Conservation Reserve consisting of a group of Rhôs pasture fields which form the main part of a SSSI and centre of the most important Marsh Fritillary population surviving in the Carmarthenshire). Other sites in Carmarthenshire include Mynydd Mawr.
Cumbria: In the 1940s approximately 200 Marsh Fritillary sites exisited in central Cumbria and the Solway coast but by 1990 only four remained. Inbreeding was a major problem at these sites due to their isolation from each other alongside the continued detrioration of the habitat.
In 1993 the Cumbria Marsh Fritillary Action Group was set up in order to try and halt the decline but by 2004 only one site remained and only a single larval web was found. These larvae were taken into captivity to start a captive breeding programme while work was done on suitable sites to improve the habitat.
168 larvae were taken from the last site. Pure bred Cumbrian offspring of these larvae produced a suspected genetic weakness which resulted in the females producing infertile eggs. Fortunately some of the Cumbrian offspring were crossed with larvae taken with permission from a strong colony in Argyll Scotland. The offspring of the Cumbrian/Argyll breeding programme produced a strong vigorous population.
By 2007 four sites in Cumbria were ready for reintroduction. 3500 larvae were released on a site on the Solway coast (Finglandrigg on the Solway Plain, west of Carlisle. OS NY283572)and an additional 3,500 at a site in West Cumbria. 10,000 were released at a site in Penrith while over 20,000 were released onto a site in the central Lake District.
These sites were surveyed in the summer of 2007 and over 200 flying marsh fritillaries were counted in a day in the central Lakes. The other sites were fairing well although the Penrith site where over 10,000 larvae were release recorded only 5 adult butterflies and later only 1 larval web. To bolster the population here, 7 more larval webs were added in the hope that this will stablise the population.
A captive breding programme is continuing while work is now underway to provide more habitat and link sites together in order to allow these populations to mingle and prevent any future genetic problems.
Gloucestershire: Strawberry Banks (a small population occurs here but is at high risk due to colony isolation).
Pembrokeshire: Castlemartin MoD (In 2006 a population explosion resulted in estimates of many thousands of butteflies on the wing following the butterfies discovery there in 2003).
Ceredigion: Rhôs Pil Bach, Morfa Harlech NNR present on the Dune Slacks and Tonyrefail Rhos.
Brecon Beacons: Ystradgynlais, Penderyn and Hirwaun support small populations.
Cornwall: Goss & Tregoss Moor NNR, Bodmin Moor.
Dorset: Lydlinch, Rooksmoor, Deadmoor, Alners Gorse, Lankham Bottom.
Scotland: Isle of Islay, Mull and parts of Argyll. It is now extinct in east and southern Scotland. |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Marsh Fritillary is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  up by 73% |
(1976-2004)  down by -73% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
priority species (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 vulnerable4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Marsh Fritillary can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 19 named aberrant forms of the Marsh Fritillary. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. artemis - [Denis & Schiffermüller] (1775) |
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| ab. atricolor - Schultz (1906) |
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| ab. deficiens - Cabeau (1928) |
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| ab. dubia - Krulikowsky (1890) |
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| ab. infrafasciata - Hörhammer (1935) |
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| ab. infraochrea - Verity (1950) |
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| ab. melanoleuca - Cabeau (1932) |
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| ab. namurcensis - Lambillion (1909) |
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| ab. nigrolimbata - Schultz (1906) |
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| ab. ochrea - Tutt (1896) |
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| ab. rectiangula - Cabeau (1924) |
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| ab. sebaldus - Schultz (1906) |
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| ab. sesostris - Schultz (1906) |
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| ab. sesquiargentea - Verity (1950) |
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| ab. suffusa - Frohawk (1938) |
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| ab. tetramelana - Cabeau (1931) |
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| ab. virgata - Tutt (1896) |
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| form. hibernica - Birchall (1873) |
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| form. scotica - Robson (1880) |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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30-50mm
