During the impressive courtship ritual, the female silver-washed fritillary flies in a straight line along woodland tracks at a height of about 2 meters. Along the way she emits an aphrodisiac scent from the tip of her abdomen. The male responds by following her closely, repeatedly looping under and over her, and showering her with pheromones released from the 4 black bars of androconial scales which run along the veins of his forewings. When the female is receptive, she leads the male to a clump of leaves high in an oak tree where copulation takes place. Copulation lasts about 2 hours and usually takes place in late morning.
Today’s photograph was also captured in the nature reserve ‘La Petite Camargue Alsacienne’, located in the south of Alsace (France).