The Heath Fritillary Mellicta athalia is an abundant insect in the woodland clearings and flower meadows of the Rhône Valley where this film was taken. There are several very similar small fritillaries in Europe and very careful comparison of their markings and distribution ranges is required in order to separate them. The identification is therefore presumptive. Bearing this in mind it is possible that some of these butterflies could be other species, for example Provencal Fritillaries Mellicta dejone - very difficult to tell from video images as there are certain key markings that cannot be seen easily.
