I walked a little further down the dry stream bed to where
it opened out into a rocky area. There were several fritillaries flying around
fighting over this prized territory. It was so nice having time to observe them
and take pictures of the upper and underside of the wings. I realised that they
usually returned to the same spot after a bout of aerial combat, so I was able
to wait for them to return for a photograph!
There were at least two Knapweed Fritillaries, Melitaea phoebe.
They seemed to be continually chasing off some Niobe
Fritillaries, Argynnis niobe altonevadensis.
A Spotted Fritillary, Melitaea
didyma, seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order and was
quickly seen off.
But a Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas
aurinia beckeri, was more persistent, constantly returning to its favourite
rose bush.
Occasionally a larger Fritillary would fly past, but it
would soon be chased off before it had even landed. I suspect they were High
Brown Fritillaries, Argynnis adippe,
as that is the largest fritillary occurring in the Sierra Nevada.
There were also a few Queen of Spain Fritillaries, Issoria lathonia. They seemed to be the top dogs in the area.
I returned to the car to have a drink of water and while I
was there I noticed two fritillaries on a yellow flower below me. I cautiously
approached them and saw that they were Cardinal Fritillaries, Argynnis pandora.
Despite a disappointing start to my day, I ended up seeing
33 species. It was so nice being able to spend some time watching the
butterflies in this little meadow.
