fritillary

noun

1. Any of several bulbous perennial plants, of the genus Fritillaria, having flowers with a spotted or chequered pattern.

   “Fritillaries are as fundamental a part of the British water meadow landscape as Ratty and Mole slowly punting along under a willow tree. They speak of opalescent spring mornings, with their distinctive chequered bells bowed earthward and beaded with dew, a dark counterpoint to the acid-fresh grass.”

2. Any of several butterflies, of the family Nymphalidae, having wings with black or silvery spots.

   “The Nymphalidae are a very extensive group, of generally strong-winged and very bright-coloured butterflies, very abundant in the tropics, and represented in our own country by our Fritillaries, our Vanessas, and our Purple-emperor.”