The end of summer

Silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

There are fewer and fewer plants with flowers now, as the autumn is closing in fast. You can see it in t...
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Silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

There are fewer and fewer plants with flowers now, as the autumn is closing in fast. You can see it in the once colorful fields, now yellow and worn. You can see it on the wings of the butterflies, now torn and bland.

One day soon, these butterflies will fly no more, but today they thrive on the few remaining flowers like these Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) plants. These flowers are like magnets to the butterflies, and they compete with many other insect species. For me to see three Silver-washed fritillaries fluttering around just one flowering plant in a bog was a wonderful experience, as it was like an island of life in a sea of progressing death.

Watching how damaged the wings of the butterflies were, I was amazed of how effortless they were flying, and wonder if they would need extra nectar to keep up or compensate for the extra energy they must spend on flight. In any case the food was running out, and even though there were several flower buds – waiting for them to open might not be possible if there is no other flower to collect nectar from in the meantime.
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