Duke of Burgundy Fritillary in Yorkshire

It’s been a long time since I saw Duke of Burgundy Fritillary in Yorkshire so the effort of climbing the hills around Hawnby for this beautiful butterfly was well worth it. I feared we may have missed this tiny insect which was on the wing while I was in Hungary but fortunately, the late spring meant there were still plenty around, including this beautiful fresh male. They were basking on the heather fronds that were just beginning to unfurl in the warm summer sun and approaching them was quite easy. the 200mm macro gives me a better working distance but care is still required not to disturb the bracken with a tripod leg!