34512_female_Var_21Apr14

A beautifully marked butterfly, with a delicate orange upf submarginal band with smudgy beige centres. It is rare and has a restricted distribution in the UK, but is reasonably widespread in France with a wide altitude range, often (and maybe most commonly) found at altitude. In the UK it is normally associated with damp areas, but my experience in France is that it is found in hot dry lowland areas, where it emerges in April, or at high or very high altitudes where the flight period is later, according to altitude.

The forewing colouration can vary from almost constant pale orange to a more variegated pattern of alternating lighter and darker bands.

There are three subspecies that occur in the PACA (Provence, Alpes, Côte d'Azur) region: provincialis, which occurs in low-lying areas and low-level hills (and includes all the specimens from Var on this page); frigescens, which occurs in higher levels of hilly areas and sub-Alpine regions; and the small dark subspecies glaciegenita that occurs above 2000m altitude.

Several of the above individuals fit that latter description to a greater or lesser degree, with 52452 being the most extreme example. It is hard to believe that 52452 and 15734 are the same species.

In May 2022 I made a first-ever trip to the eastern Pyrénées at that time of year and encountered large numbers of aurinia of the form beckeri. This is a particularly appealing form of aurinia, a species which has a number of appealing forms, hence the large number of images on this page. It was flying in company with the very localised (in France, at least) Spanish Fritillary (E. desfontainii) which it greatly resembles in flight.

A superb video of the life-cycle of aurinia has been produced by Filming VarWild and can be viewed on YouTube here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_-mZUxkOxQ

observations

the markings and colouring of 20009 are, in my opinion, just sensational. It is breathtakingly beautiful.

a rather dull, small aurinia from the semi-mountainous wetlands of the département of Doubs in the north-east of France.

a typical male, great contrast in the upperside markings, with the whitish uph marginal marks setting the contrast nicely. The rather odd pose of one forewing held down seems to occur with some regularity. Aurinia sometimes settles with both wings folded back in a rather moth-like pose.

a darker male seen at high altitude of 2000m. It was not the smaller, mountain subspecies debilis, which looks like a rather smaller and duller version of the nominate form, and occurs in the same region. It does, however, look like an intermediary form between aurinia and debilis.

a particularly small and dark male from the Jura.

a female, from the same location as 10420. It is rather larger than the male, with slightly less contrast in the markings.

a female, a rare opportunity for an underside shot.