Alfons Lilja's Image

On a warm summer’s day, eight-year-old Alfons spotted this small pearl-bordered fritillary flying close to the ground. It paused to drink nectar from a clump of goldenrods and Alfons was delighted that it stayed still long enough for him to capture this shot. Framing the insect slightly off-centre, he caught its delicately patterned wings.

Small pearl-bordered fritillaries lay their eggs on the leaves of violets. When the caterpillars hatch they munch away on the plants until winter, when they roll themselves up inside the leaves to hibernate. The species is found across Europe, North America and Asia in woodlands and damp meadows where violets grow.