And so, with everyone contented I set off in eager anticipation for Cabopino. 10Km further down the road and I was in Cabopino’s car-park, managing to save a few euros by going unnoticed by the self-styled car-park attendants. A hop over the small fence and I was among the dunes and almost immediately into a Blue, ….. in fact two Common Blues in cop
.
They two looked much more like ‘our’ Common Blues, certainly in terms of their size than the ones I’d seen previously: -
A great start on my return to Cabopino and this was to going to continue. My next sighting though not a butterfly was worthy of recording:- a small umbrella nest structure covered in paper wasps
.
The nest was a hive of activity (not quite the correct pun). Being so close I could’ve been stung but the wasps were so very focussed on their nest building I didn’t feel any sense of being threatened
. I certainly would not go anywhere as near to a Common or German wasp nest.
Also seen was this interesting Green-eyed wasp which I think is a predatory ground wasp of the genus
Tachytes.
and another large and commonly seen Grasshopper which I think is
Heteracris littoralis.
Moving on past a shady side of a large sprawling conifer bush I put up another butterfly. Immediately I thought “Wall”, but it took me some time to find it again (or perhaps was another one?). The butterfly was tucked-in deep inside the conifer as much to do with keeping out of the heat rather than due to my presence. My Lumix FZ-72 was the only camera I could use to get this picture.
Then, when I moved it then flew out from the conifer and landed on the deck enabling me to get another couple of shots until (quite sensibly) it decided it was too hot outdoors and went back into the bush
.
Not far from the Wall was this little Crambid moth blending in with the sand (
Pyrausta despicata).
I continued exploring amidst the sweltering heat. Walking up a sand dune bank I espied a lizard which I approached carefully for a photo but then something seemed to spook it
. At the top of the bank I found out what … a large snake
, which itself was spooked by me. It made off into a bush but some of its body was exposed as it climbed up off from ground level.
At that time, I had no idea what it was. It was certainly very long and the patterning was distinctive so I thought I’d have no trouble identifying it later. Also, I could see it wasn’t a viper so I dismissed it as a non-venomous, possibly something allied to a smooth or grass snake
.
I took the view that it may have been hunting the lizard and may come back out from the bush to continue where it left off. That proved to be the case although again it was wary of my approach and made for cover every time it crossed open ground. In the end, I settled for part shots (does anyone know how to electronically piece photos together
) to give an idea of the sheer size of it (possibly around 6ft in length)
. I was also able to get a head shot with the FZ-72.
Later back at the apartment using my daughter’s mobile, it took a while to find its identity simply as I was googling it under the subject of “European non-venomous snakes”. The snake turned out to be the back-fanged mildly venomous Montpellier snake (
Malpolon monspessulanus).
Considered common but I felt a real sense of privilege from having seen it in its natural environment in hunting mode
.
As regards the threat of being bitten? … you would have to capture it and more or less stick your finger in its mouth to get bitten .. i.e. no threat whatsoever.
- The snake's prey: - Fringe-toed Lizard
Continuing with my searching I came across these two beetles which I haven’t identified. The black one looks like a darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae)
Pimelia sp. being my guess
The speckled looks like a weevil of some description. Your views (Mikhail) as to their ID's are very welcome.
Flagging badly in the heat I took a few minutes to recover by ducking into the shade from the pine trees on the mainland side of the dunes. Somewhat recovered I continued onwards to Andy's beach noticing a pair of Hoopoe flying by as well as the more numerous and noisy Monk’s Parakeets.
I nearly walked into this web belong to another but darker
Argiope lobata wasp spider in its characteristic and striking pose.
Back at Las Farolas we discussed our plans to come. Tomorrow we’d be going to Bioparc (zoo) in Fuengirola. My burning wish to go for a big butterfly search in the countryside would have to wait a little longer
.
Phil
. 
... until someone comes up with a good reason why it isn't a Chapman's 