Cynthia's fritillary - Hypodryas cynthia

Family: Nymphalidae Flight Time: June - August Size: 32 - 42mm Altitude: 900 - 3000m

A glorious Butterfly. The male is quite unique in it's silvery markings, while the female right, is somewhat dowdier. They generally occur at high altitudes, up towards the snow-line. Due to the severity of the conditions they take two years to complete their life-cycle, which results in good years and bad years in terms of numbers of adults flying. In Switzerland 1999 it was supposed to be a bad year, not too bad though!

Male underside.

© All pictures in these pages copyright to Simon Coombes. Permission must be sought and obtained for any use.