I headed 100km due south of Brussels today for a walk in the countryside around Couvin, close to the French border. At one point, I heard a strange, chattering call, a bit like that of a sparrow, but it was actually being made by a Melodious Warbler. Nothing was singing, however, and the warbler, some Hawfinch, a few Yellowhammers, and a Red-backed Shrike were the only noteworthy species I saw. As usual at this quiet time of year (at least as far as birds are concerned), my attention thus turned to the butterflies and I was very pleased to get this photo of a White Admiral as they normally stay high up in the trees. The best was yet to come, though, as I came across a clearing which was buzzing with at least ten different species of butterfly plus a rare Pygmy Moth, all feeding on a fragrant pink flower I haven't yet identified. One of the first butterflies I noticed was a fritillary and this one, as opposed to those I saw in Belgian Luxembourg, was playing by the rules and sitting nicely on the flowers for me to take pictures. It held its wings constantly flat, however, so it took me a while to get a decent shot of the underside pattern, which is crucial for identifying many members of this family. I knew it was a new species for me whatever it was but, once I got home, I was perplexed as the pictures seemed to match up with Marbled Fritillary, which doesn't occur in Belgium according to both of my fieldguides. It should have been Lesser Marbled Fritillary instead according to the range maps but it just didn't 'feel' right for that species. I then went online and discovered that Marbled Fritillary, a south-European species, is rapidly spreading northwards, having first colonised Belgium in 2006 and since then spreading to 40 different localities, with a strong concentration in the area around Couvin. So, I found a species I didn't even know occurred in Belgium, and another beauty at that!
