It was great to see all of last week's butterflies in the province of Luxembourg yet I'd seen them all on previous visits to the reserve so there were no real surprises, other than the lifer dragonfly of course. This got me wondering whether or not it would be possible to plug some of the gaps in my Belgian butterfly list since I've seen 70 of the hundred or so species which occur here regularly. I thus enquired with a fellow birder as to the whereabouts of the top secret, one and only population of Marsh Fritillary in Flanders. Since we've been birding together several times, he knew he could trust me and gave me directions although he did mention it was nearing the end of their flight period and I may have to wait until next year. Not wasting any time, therefore, I gave it a try on Monday but there were very few butterflies around at first so I amused myself with the dragonflies and admired the many Spotted Orchids instead.
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| Small Red Damselfly |
My friend had mentioned one particular field, however, so I gave that one last check before leaving and noticed a few more butterflies amongst the flowers. After a few Meadow Browns, I soon realised there was also a Marsh Fritillary, albeit an extremely worn individual, and eventually managed to get some pictures as proof. It was not particularly photogenic, being in such poor condition, but it sure beats having to wait another year for my first one and takes my lifer tally for this year to one each of birds, dragonflies and butterflies.
