Marsh Fritillary

The Marsh Fritillary is one of our most threatened butterflies, whose populations continue to disappear despite measures to protect and restore its habitats. Its host plant is, among others, the devil’s-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), a plant that used to be widespread but is now very sparse, which partly explains the difficulties encountered by the Fritillary in maintaining its populations. It should benefit from the restoration of nardus grasslands, provided that there are enough favorable plots of land not too far apart to allow exchanges between populations.

In the LIFE Nardus project area, a small isolated population was found in 2014 in the Our valley. Its isolation did not augur well for its survival in the medium and long term, and it was becoming urgent to create/restore favorable habitats nearby.