Marsh Fritillary
Fast Facts
Latin name: Euphydryas aurinia
Notable feature: The Marsh Fritillary has more brightly patterned wings with more contrast than other fritillary species, with the upper side of the Marsh Fritillaries wing having a mosaic of orange, yellow, and brown markings.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Where in the UK: In the UK, the Marsh Fritillary is only found on the west coast of Scotland, south and west Wales, Northern Ireland, and south-west/southern England.
Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) © Drew Cooper
The Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) is a brightly patterned butterfly with chequered wings of yellows, oranges, and browns. Towards the outer edge of each hind wing is a row of small black dots, which helps to identify it from the Heath Fritillary. It is a native species to the UK, and can be seen on the wing between May and July, on damp, tussocky grassland or calcareous grasslands.
This butterfly was often called the ‘Greasy Fritillary’ as its bright colours fade after a few days on the wing, resulting in a shiny appearance.
The foodplant of Marsh Fritillary is Devil’s-bit-Scabious (Succisa pratensis). Females will lay cluster of eggs on the underside of the leaves of Devil’s-bit Scabious, these clusters can be up to 350 eggs!
The larvae spin a protective silk web around the leaves of the Devil’s-bit scabious and they live communally in these webs where they feed on the leaves. The larvae overwinter in small webs close to the ground, when they emerge in spring you can see the small black caterpillars basking in the sunshine.
The March Fritillary is Vulnerable on the GB Red List (2022), and its European status is: Vulnerable.
- Wingspan: 42 to 48 mm.
- Life span:1 year, approx. 9 months as a caterpillar.
- Diet: Devil’s-bit-Scabious (Succisa pratensis).
- Reproduction: Males emerge first and set up territories waiting for a female Marsh Fritillary. Females are mated with shortly after their emergence. She’ll lay a cluster of up to 350 eggs on Devil’s-bit Scabious, and when the larvae hatch, they live communally in a protective silk web, before overwintering close to the ground.
- When to see: Adult Marsh Fritillary butterflies begin to emerge in May and fly until July.
- Population Trend: The Marsh Fritillary has declined across the UK and Europe. In the UK it has undergone a 43% in its distribution.
- Threats: This species requires abundance of Devil’s-bit Scabious with low intensity grazing. Therefore, over or under grazing, mowing, and improper scrub removal are all factors contributing to the decline of this species. Burning can also be an issue on some sites, as whilst it does control scrub, it can also kill the caterpillars.
- Interesting Fact: The caterpillars spin webs that can be used for surveying population numbers as they are easy to spot in the vegetation. Adults rarely fly more than 100m from where they emerged
How to help
If you think you may have seen a Marsh Fritillary, log your finds via the iRecord app.
In 2026, Buglife began the Moor Invertebrates Project, that aims to secure the future of eight threatened invertebrate species – including the Marsh Fritillary – within the Dartmoor Important Invertebrate Area and in Dartmoor National Park.
While Buglife continues to work to increase awareness of invertebrates and support nature’s recovery through our projects and campaigns, we need your help! You can support our work by joining the Buglife community, or consider making a donation, or even purchasing from our shop. For more ideas on how to support our work find out how to get involved. Thank you 🦋
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