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40-450: Hurst Spit is a one-mile-long (1.6 km) shingle bank near the village of Keyhaven , at the western end of the Solent , on the south coast of England . The spit shelters an area of saltmarsh and mudflats known as Keyhaven and Pennington marshes . At the end of the spit is Hurst Castle , an artillery fortress originally built on the orders of King Henry VIII , and much enlarged in

80-475: A mate to lay their eggs in a different population. This dispersal helps induce genetic flow between populations on the fragmented meadows of the Åland Islands. A female Glanville fritillary will lay as many as 10 clutches of eggs in her lifetime. These clutches can range in size from 50 up to 300 eggs and are laid on the underside of the larval food plant of either Plantago lanceolata (ribwort plantain) or Veronica spicata (spiked speedwell). After hatching,

120-731: A nature reserve in Addington , near Croydon . Historic UK records suggest a distribution which went as far north as Lincolnshire . However, by the middle of the 19th century the Glanville fritillary was known only from the Isle of Wight and the coast of Kent between Folkestone and Sandwich. It became extinct in Kent by the mid-1860s. Melitaea cinxia has a wingspan of about 33–40 millimetres (1.3–1.6 in). These medium-sized butterflies have orange, black, and white "checkerspot" forewings. On

160-407: A stage of diapause , which is a period of suspended development, during the winter time. The spiked speedwell and ribwort plantain are the Glanville fritillary's preferred plants to lay eggs and to eat as larvae. Female butterflies will show a preference for one plant species over the other when deciding where to lay their eggs, but the caterpillars have no preference once they hatch. After entering

200-433: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Glanville fritillary The Glanville fritillary ( Melitaea cinxia ) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae . It is named for the naturalist who discovered it and the checkerboard pattern on its wings. These butterflies live in almost all of Europe, especially Finland, and in parts of northwest Africa. They are absent from the far north of Europe and parts of

240-739: Is a highly restricted species within the UK, being confined to the Isle of Wight and even there being largely limited to the southern coast. It also occurs in the Channel Islands , and since 1990 there has been a mainland site on the Hampshire coast, possibly the result of an introduction. There are small introduced populations on the Somerset coast and two in Surrey: one near Wrecclesham , and one at

280-623: Is able to increase its own parasitism if the fritillary population is also increasing in size and age, but will decrease if said population becomes isolated. Thus, in well established fritillary populations there is a risk of local extinction by the C. melitaearum parasitoid. Subspecies include: As the global temperature of the Earth warms each year, many butterfly species are forced to shift northward in order to keep living in their preferred climates. Scientists have found that migratory species, such as monarch butterflies, are better able to adapt to

320-401: Is active, which also influence her ability to lay larger clutches. Heterozygote females are able to operate earlier in the day compared to all other genotypes. Further, females with a Pgi-f allele are able to begin oviposition earlier in the day and are also able to lay larger clutch sizes. The Pgi-f allele contributes to a higher metabolic rate and the ability for females to take advantage of

360-481: Is attracted there, being on the beach of an open pure sea". The inn building was demolished with expansion of the castle in the mid 19th century, but by the 1870s there was a new inn, called the Castle Inn, which was "kept for the accommodation of the troops and the crews of the numerous stone-dredging vessels, which carry away great quantities of the shingle from the beach to Portsmouth , Southampton etc." The inn

400-500: Is most commonly found on Åland (Finland), which host a network of about 4,000 dry meadows, the fritillary's ideal habitat. These butterflies commonly inhabit open grassland at an elevation of 0–2,000 metres (0–6,562 ft) above sea level. In the UK the Glanville fritillary occurs only on soft undercliff and chine grassland and where its main larval food plant Plantago lanceolata (English plantain) occurs in abundance on sheltered, south facing slopes. The Glanville fritillary

440-454: Is rather similar to the heath fritillary ( Melitaea athalia ), but the beige and orange bands on the underwings are distinctive. Moreover, the latter one has no spots on the upperside of the hindwings. After hatching, Glanville fritillary caterpillars live in gregarious sibling groups. They feed on their host plant, either Plantago lanceolata (ribwort plantain) or Veronica spicata (spiked speedwell). Adult females prefer one plant over

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480-474: Is thought to be a Middle English dialect word meaning "sandbank", which is derived from Old English "hyrst" indicating a hillock or eminence. Little is known about Hurst before the castle was built, although it seems to be mentioned in a document dated 1434 which refers to a wreck off "Hurst". Hurst Castle was built between 1541 and 1544 by Henry VIII as part of his network of coastal defences to protect England against French and Spanish invasion. Hurst Castle

520-410: Is thought to be due to resource depletion over time in the female, potentially from high investment in earlier clutches. Clutch size also increases with increased intervals between oviposition. Typical Glanville fritillary oviposition occurs once every two days. Glanville fritillary females vary in their PGI, a glycolytic enzyme, genotype. The genotype of the female influences the time of day that she

560-480: The 1690s. A contemporary wrote This fly took its name from the ingenious Lady Glanvil, whose memory had like to have suffered for her curiosity. Some relations that was disappointed by her Will, attempted to let it aside by Acts of Lunacy, for they suggested that none but those who were deprived of their senses, would go in Pursuit of butterflies. The Glanville fritillary is found across Europe and temperate Asia. It

600-525: The 1880s a military narrow gauge railway , part of the track of which survives, was built to shift stores and ammunition from the dock to the castle. Shingle beach While this type of beach is most commonly found in Europe , examples are also found in Bahrain , North America , and a number of other world regions, such as the west coast of New Zealand 's South Island , where they are associated with

640-478: The 1940s when coast protection works in Christchurch Bay first began to interrupt the flow of the shingle towards the spit. In 1989 the spit was so weakened that it was danger of being permanently breached. A stabilisation scheme took place in 1996-7. This scheme rebuilt the shingle bank using dredged shingle, and saw the building of a new rock revetment utilising larvikite rocks shipped from Norway at

680-462: The 19th century. Hurst Point Lighthouse was built on the end of Hurst Spit in the 1860s. Hurst Spit is a hook-shaped shingle spit which extends for 1.4 miles (2.25 km) from the Hampshire shore into the Solent towards the Isle of Wight . The spit forms a barrier which shelters a Site of Special Scientific Interest known as Hurst Castle And Lymington River Estuary . To reach the end of

720-685: The Iberian Peninsula. To the east they are found across the Palearctic (in Turkey, Russia, northern Kazakhstan, and Mongolia). It has been discovered that this butterfly only mates one time in June or July and lays its eggs. It does not provide any protection to these eggs or care for the offspring. As adults, the Glanville fritillaries are short-lived; they spend most of their lives as caterpillars. As caterpillars, Glanville fritillaries enter

760-485: The Solent just east of the round tower of Hurst Castle. Storms regularly uncover unexploded ordnance on the spit, some dating back more than a century. Soldiers stationed at the castle used to practice the firing of shells . The spit formed from loose flint pebbles which had been eroded from the cliffs further west. Although originally formed by natural processes, Hurst Spit has been declining in volume, probably since

800-507: The adult phase the fritillaries feed on nectar of the spiked speedwell and ribwort plantain, among others. This species of butterfly is at risk of population decline because it is not a migratory species. Though widespread, populations in Finland are at risk because they are not able to travel great distances as easily as other species, such as monarchs, if their environment should suddenly become unsuitable. The word fritillary refers to

840-622: The butterfly on this plant was able to induce the increase of two ketones (6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and t-geranylacetone) and the suppression of green leaf volatiles (GLVs). Adult Glanville fritillaries have a diet that consists solely of nectar. It has been shown that larvae with higher amounts of iridoid glycosides have better defense against parasitoids and bacterial pathogens. Adult Glanville fritillaries take flight, mate, and lay their eggs from June to early July. During this time it has been found that females only mate once. Females also tend to mate in their natal groups before dispersing with

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880-464: The caterpillars feed on their host plants until the end of the summer where they spin a "winter nest" to diapause . When winter is over they emerge from their nest to feed again before pupating around the beginning of May. A month later, the adult fritillaries emerge and go about their adult lives of feeding, mating, and laying eggs. In the Glanville fritillary, clutch size is highly important as larval survival depends on groups size. Thus, understanding

920-519: The checkered pattern of the butterfly's wings, which comes from the Latin word fritillus which means "dicebox". The name "Glanville" comes from the naturalist who discovered it, Lady Eleanor Glanville , who was an eccentric 17th- and 18th-century English butterfly enthusiast – a very unusual occupation for a woman at that time. She was the first to capture British specimens in Lincolnshire during

960-434: The climate of the early day - both of which factors allow for increased clutch size. Glanville fritillary eggs and pupae are often parasitized by several species of parasitoids. Two specialist species: And several generalist species: And has several hyperparasitoids The parasitoid C. melitaearum can be extremely detrimental to Glanville fritillary populations if it is able to become well established. This species

1000-456: The coarse, porous surface of the beach, decreasing the effect of backwash erosion and increasing the formation of sediment into a steeply sloping beach. Shingle beaches are rare, made up of thousands of smooth rocks with varying geological qualities. The ocean naturally smooths the various rocks over time with crashing waves. Shingle beaches are popular for the varying rock types that can be found. This article about geography terminology

1040-460: The conservation of this species. This butterfly is not currently listed as threatened in Europe, but its UK BAP status is Priority Species. The NERC act of England lists it as species of principal importance. Its Butterfly Conservation priority is high, so this is a butterfly likely to be increasingly threatened in the coming years. Cinxia (from Latin) - belted (cinctus - belt). The name reflects

1080-400: The different factors that contribute to clutch size is important in developing an understanding of population dynamics and life cycle. Clutch size is inversely related to the size of the clutches previously laid, meaning that the more eggs a female lays in years prior, the fewer eggs will be in the present clutch. Further, it is known that clutch sizes decrease with the age of the female. This

1120-528: The gravel, but are now rare. In the 1830s deposits of bitumen were also noted on the spit, and in 1840 there was even an attempt to establish a bitumen factory. The origin of the bitumen is unknown, but it may be that the spit accumulated natural floating deposits of bitumen. Hurst Spit supports an important community of saltmarsh plants especially sea purslane ( Halimione portulacoides ); glasswort ( Salicornia species); annual seablite ( Suaeda maritima ); and golden samphire ( Inula crithmoides ). Behind

1160-430: The other when choosing where to lay their eggs, but the larvae do not have a feeding preference for either plant when they are born. As an attempt to fend off predators and parasitoids, the spiked speedwell emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when threatened. Some researchers found that this plant species has two different defenses for when it is being fed on and when a butterfly is in oviposition. The oviposition of

1200-399: The rising temperatures than sedentary species, such as Glanville fritillaries. Glanville fritillaries will migrate around the Åland Islands to different habitat patches, but they will not embark on great transcontinental seasonal migrations like other butterflies do. Because of this they are very susceptible to climate change, which is something to keep in mind when considering plans to aid in

1240-523: The shingle fans of braided rivers . Though created at shorelines, post-glacial rebound can raise shingle beaches as high as 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level, as on the High Coast in Sweden. The ecosystems formed by this association of rock and sand allow colonization by a variety of rare and endangered species . Shingle beaches are typically steep, because the waves easily flow through

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1280-463: The spit is an area of saltmarsh and mud flats known as Keyhaven and Pennington marshes . The marshes contain a variety of wildlife especially birds, invertebrates, and plant life. There are colonies of black-headed gulls and dunlins , and many wading birds including oystercatchers , ringed and grey plovers , and redshanks . Glanville fritillary butterflies have been reported on the spit probably only as wind blown individuals. The name "hurst"

1320-529: The spit one can either catch the seasonal ferry from Keyhaven , or follow the footpath (part of the Solent Way ) along the top of the spit. The sea route past Hurst Spit can be hazardous to boats because the constriction to the tidal flow caused by the spit creates strong tidal streams, as well as spiky waves mixed with circular areas of flat sea caused by the upwelling water. In addition a sand bar , known as The Trap, sticks out 60 m (200 ft) into

1360-422: The submarginal row of spots on the hindwing is characteristic. Excepting the pale yellow black-dotted apex, the forewing beneath uniformly reddish leather-yellow, with dispersed blackspots, which vary in number. The species though of wide distribution, has not developed into many races. Caterpillars are about 25 mm long with a reddish-brown head and a spiny black body with small white dots. Melitaea cinxia

1400-461: The upper side of the hindwings they have a row of black dots. The hindwings have white and orange bands and a series of black dots inside them, also clearly visible on the reverse. Females are usually more dull than males with more developed black dots. In Seitz it is described - M. cinxia L. (65 e, f). Above uniformly pale yellowish red, marked with black, somewhat recalling a chess-board, the white fringes being checkered. A row of heavy black dots in

1440-476: The western end of the spit and near the castle. The spit has to be replenished from time to time, most notably in the aftermath of the 2013-14 UK winter storms when New Forest District Council had to rebuild and reinforce parts of the spit. The spit no longer has its original natural appearance and looks "more like a railway embankment." Fossils from the Barton Beds were at one time a common sight amongst

1480-479: Was established to defend the western entrance of the Solent. During the English Civil War the castle was occupied by parliamentary forces and at the end of 1648 Charles I was held prisoner in the castle. The castle was enlarged in the 1860s, and two large wing batteries were built to house heavy guns. Soldiers were stationed at Hurst Castle as recently as World War II . The first lighthouse at Hurst

1520-421: Was still operating at the beginning of the 20th century. There was also a coastguard station "near the castle" in 1878 "with four men and a chief boatman", and there was a depot for " smacks employed in collecting from the adjacent coasts the septaria nodules, used in the manufacture of Roman cement ." A small dock , originally stone built, was constructed in the early 1850s, to aid the new building work. In

1560-424: Was the "High Light" – the free standing Hurst Point Lighthouse built on the end of Hurst Spit between 1865 and 1867. In the 18th century a small community of houses, including an inn, grew up just outside the castle, serving the needs of the soldiers, some of whom lodged in the houses with their families. The inn was called The Shipwright's Arms, and in 1808 it was said that "in the summer season, much company

1600-579: Was the Hurst Tower, sited to the south west of Hurst Castle, and lit for the first time on 29 September 1786. An additional and higher light - the High Lighthouse - was constructed in 1812. These lighthouses were dismantled and replaced by two new lighthouses built in the 1860s. The first was the "Low Light" built into the rear wall of the west wing of the castle, which was superseded by the adjacent iron lighthouse in 1911. The second lighthouse

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