A visit to Kingcombe Meadows.
I visited Kingcombe Meadows on the 22nd May, another Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve (and in better condition than the lamented Troublefield), and was pleased to find my second sighting of the year of a Marsh Fritillary Butterfly. Only the second time in fact I’d ever seen one. This year I’ve been visiting butterfly places in the hope of seeing several of the fritillary species that I’ve so far not seen let alone photographed. With some success including the earlier Pearl and Small Pearl border fritillaries at Bentley Wood.
The Marsh Fritillary that I did find was slightly tattered on one wing, but getting it side on helped to remove that from the shot.
Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia.
Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia. Taken on Canon 50D with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. ISO 400 F6.3 1/320 Natural Light.
Additionally shooting at a wide aperture (the most open in fact of F2.8) helped as well.
Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia
Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia. Taken on Canon 50D with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. ISO 400 F2.8 1/640 Natural Light.
It was also a cold so after a few shots I coaxed it onto my hand (well it crawled on for warmth), as the following shot shows. Once warmed up however it flew off, preventing any further better shots of it.
Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia. On My hand.
Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia. Taken on Canon 50D with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. ISO 400 F8 1/200 Natural Light.
Wandering into the fields opposite the car park saw some nice flower meadows with lots of Common Blues about, including this male pairing on the same grass stem.
Pair of male blues
Pair of male blues. Taken on Canon 50D with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. ISO 400 F4 1/500 Natural Light.
Lastly I spotted another Common Blue posing on a stem, with a yellow flower in the background that shooting in a high aperture of F5, created a nice background.
Common Blue on seed head.
Common Blue on seed head. Taken on Canon 50D with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. ISO 400 F5 1/250 Natural Light.
Map of Location
The Environmental Centre and Car Park are located here. This is a Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve.
