Yes! Patch Tick Proved At Last

What the vickers is he going on about?? You may very well wonder.

I'm talking butterflies here - sorrynotsorry - as there have, for several years now, been brief but frustrating encounters for me at or near the Nose with butterflies that look horribly like fritillaries.

You get Silver-washed on Patch, but these were always too early and too small and looked very very Pearl-y. But how to prove that Pearl-bordered Fritillary - the rarer of the Pearls - occurred on my dear Patch?

Never give up. That's how.

Thus it was, Saturday last, in the inestimable company of no less a birder than The Veteran himself, I got photons on target.

Sort of.

Enough.  Looooooooook!!

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Hah ha ha!

I was right!

Here's another - from Yarner, the next day - to compare [a bit, he wasn't feeling helpful...]

P-B F

Only underside on offer

That second one shows all the classic features vs Small Pearl-bordered, and you can see them in the Nose insect [especially once you allow for the black upperwing markings showing through a strongly-lit wing].

I am - as you might have guessed - rather pleased with this.

Be Seeing You...