Butterflies of Var, Southern France

[Matsukaze]

Thanks folks. I know I am supposed to get underside pictures of the skippers, but the butterflies were not being cooperative. Also loads of Lulworths around, which was a new butterfly for me (at least they are relatively distinctive). This one or Large Skipper would be the most common of the golden skippers, depending on where I went.

[David M]

I know exactly what you mean, and one lesson I've learned is to take as many photographs as possible as your find could well turn out to be something unusual.

We don't really suffer from this affliction in the UK, and it takes a sea change to our basic, instinctive functioning to adopt such practices when we're abroad.

Thank God for digital cameras with a 1,500 image capacity is all I can say!

[Matsukaze]

Yes, I need to get a rather larger memory card as I was out of space well before the end of the holiday. To some extent this is countered by the hotter and sunnier weather, which means that the butterflies never stop to allow themselves to be photographed.

[Roger Gibbons]

The last photo of a Carcharodus skipper looks more like to Mallow (C. alceae) to me. I would expect the hindwing discal marks to be a whiter and more complete series and more contrasting for Southern Marbled (C. baeticus). The submarginal line does look “sinuous” – one of the keys to baeticus – but fresh alceae show this as well. The debate as to how white the alceae discal mark can be, has been well-aired and I think the consensus is that this one falls within the range.

I thought the one before had the feel of Tufted Marbled (C. flocciferus) as well.

[Matsukaze]

Not too many blues about. Common Blue was present in reasonable numbers, and there were a few Adonis Blue and Brown Argus about. Other than the insects below, the only other blue I saw was a single arion.

On the way down from the high pass from Grenoble we found this blue by the roadside - Plebejus but which species? Both bird's foot trefoil and crown vetch in abundance at the site.

A mystery blue photographed up in the hills above the Lac de Ste Croix. At the time I assumed it was a Holly Blue, from the behaviour (flitting around energetically at above head height and nectaring on bramble). The trouble is the photo doesn't seem to be of a Holly Blue - the spots are too round and I would expect the underwings to be much bluer. To my mind it looks most like osiris, but was not behaving like my limited experience of that species would suggest.

Up at 1300m I found this insect (or insects - the second and third pictures are definitely of the same butterfly, the first is quite likely the same individual but I got distracted by other butterflies in the meantime...). At the time I thought it was alexis although the patterning of the upperwing spots is clearly wrong for that. My best guess is Mazarine but I am not entirely convinced; the upperwing colour looks wrong for a start.

These two butterflies were flying at the same site and were noticeably smaller than the Common Blues. Silver-studded? The first two photos are of the same butterfly.

Finally I think these three are Common Blues:

[Padfield]

Hi Matsukaze.

The first, roadside Plebejus looks like idas. There is a lot of variation in silver-studded blue and the critical area of the upperside hindwing is not visible in these photos, but as you have a local silver-stud lower down it is possible to be a little more confident with this one, which is quite different.

The next one does, as you say, look very good for osiris.

The one you initially thought was alexis and then changed to semiargus I think is most probably a turquoise blue, Polyommatus dorylas. This species can be very pale even when completely fresh and when worn may show just the few markings visible in yours. Here are the uns and ups of a very pale but fresh dorylas - this individual photographed in Spain, as it happens.





The next three pictures show silver-studs, as you thought.

For the final three, I think the first is icarus and the next two escheri.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

Some photos from the past few months:

A female Geranium Argus (Eumedonia eumedon) sitting, as always, on a Geranium (Geranium sylvaticum) in overcast weather in the Valais, Switzerland.

A rather dark male Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia), Alpes-Maritimes at 1300m.

A Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Var.

A male Alpine Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus andromedae), Hautes-Alpes

A female Shepherds Fritillary (Boloria pales), also from the Valais

A female Mountain Dappled White (Euchloe simplonia) , Hautes-Alpes

A group of blues and skippers puddling, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

A male Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, where there had only been one previous record in the département

A Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) of the white form leucomelas. Coincidentally, Colin posted one saying that they were commoner in the south of France and I saw one in Var the next day, but later saw two including this one in the region of Dijon in central France.

[Reverdin]

Hi Roger..
I've never seen that MW ab..... what a great pic of a fantastic butterfly!
A privilege to see, thanks

[Matsukaze]

A final batch of photos for which I'd appreciate some help with ID (taken early July). These are largely fritillaries.

This Heath-type fritillary was by the roadside in Isere - it was the only Mellicta I saw whilst in France.

On the same site, this rather larger fritillary - Marbled??

This one has me stumped - by a roadside passing through oak woods in Haut-Var - High Brown? Niobe? Marbled?

On the same site, this blue - appalling photo but the butterflies would not stay still in the heat and this was the only one I managed. I don't think it's Common Blue - missing the appropriate spot and somehow the markings and colour look 'wrong' for that.

This next was flying round at the base of some poplars at the lakeside, in the company of Silver-washed, High Brown, and Lesser Purple Emperor. Although a reasonable size for a fritillary it was noticeably smaller than these. Marbled Fritillary?

No need for ID on this one, present at the same site, and only the third I have seen.

Moths are brown and boring, and don't let anyone tell you anything different. I think this one is Zygaena fausta - can anyone confirm this?

I assumed this female blue was Adonis at the time, but it is missing the cell spot, and the ring of spots look proportionally too big for that species.

[David M]

Apart from your first and second Fritillary images, which looks like Heath to me, but could well be Meadow (I'm still an amateur at differentiating between these two), I think your next three are all Marbled fritillary, as the hindwing margins have that scalloped look.

Really not sure about your female Blue....perhaps one of the 'big beasts' of the forum will confirm?

[Roger Gibbons]

I have been following Chris’ (les-Bouches-du-Rhône) and Colin’s (Alpes-Maritimes) diaries with some interest this year, being in the département (county) of Var, in between the two of them. It seems to have been a slow start to the season, but recently seems to have picked up, with warm but not hot days and very little rain in the past seven weeks.

I have seen 89 species, nearly all within 30 minutes of me, a few in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Var is an exceptionally rich département with some 160 species, almost as many as the Alpes-Maritimes although Var does not extend much above 1000m altitude (a few peaks above this) even in the north, whereas the A-M extends to include most of the Mercantour National Park including high altitudes up to the Col de Bonnette (2800m – the highest road pass in Europe – at one time it wasn’t, but they allegedly rebuilt it to go 100m higher so that they could make the “highest in Europe” claim).

In case anyone is thinking of rushing down to Var, I would mention that everything becomes baked around the end of June and the flowers and butterflies tend to be absent until it starts to cool down in September. Many of the residents of the south coast head for the mountains in July and August. May is the best month for the sheer diversity and density of species.

Roger

Here’s the list so far, for reference:

Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)
Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus flocciferus)
Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae)
Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
Oberthur's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus)
Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami)
Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)
Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi)
Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae)
Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius)
Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
Nettle Tree (Libythea celtis)
Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)
Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli)
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
Provencal Short-tailed Blue (Cupido alcetas)
Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris)
Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops)
Iolas Blue (Iolana iolas)
Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus)
Escher's Blue (Polyommatus escheri)
Provence Chalk-hill Blue (Polyommatus hispana)
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus thersites)
Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes baton)
Chequered Blue (Scolitantides orion)
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)
Sloe Hairstreak (Satyrium acaciae)
False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi)
Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium ilicis)
Blue-spot Hairstreak (Satyrium spini)
Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus)
Niobe Fritillary (Argynnis niobe)
Cardinal (Argynnis pandora)
Silver Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia)
Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)
Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne)
Twin-spot Fritillary (Brenthis hecate)
Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia)
Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
Meadow Fritillary (Melitaea parthenoides)
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)
Peacock (Aglais io)
Map (Araschnia levana)
Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius)
Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)
Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa)
Comma (Polygonia c-album)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena)
Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina)
Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
Provence Orange Tip (Anthocharis euphenoides)
Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea)
Dappled White (Euchloe crameri)
Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
Eastern Wood White (Leptidea duponcheli)
Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)
Large White (Pieris brassicae)
Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
Small White (Pieris rapae)
Bath White (Pontia daplidice)
Duke Of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina)
Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe)
Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania)
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
de Prunner's Ringlet (Erebia triaria)
Large Wall (Lasiommata maera)
Wall (Lasiommata megera)
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
Western Marbled White (Melanargia occitanica)
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba)

[Chris Jackson]

An impressive list, Roger.
My local tally, restricted to the Bouches du Rhone (Marseilles / Vitrolles), is 49 species. It should reach 60-odd by the end of the summer.
For those who don't know - the Bouches du Rhone is situated to the west of the Var and the Alpes Maritimes, and is the least rich in species of the 3 départements (counties).

Let me know if you are ever BF spotting over in the west Var during a week-end, Roger.
Good hunting.
Chris

[Matsukaze]

Plenty of butterflies on the wing in the far north of Var during the heatwave at the start of July - the Great Sooty Satyrs in particular were impressive. Also good numbers of SWF around, including a few valezina and ones with vaguely golden underwings which tended towards f. immaculata.

The PACA atlas has the last Var site of Black Hairstreak as having been destroyed when the dam was built creating the Lac de Ste Croix. Checking the borders of the lake in the general area of the old site shows a few decent stands of blackthorn, most notably in the angle between the D49, D71 and the lake. I wonder if the butterfly might still lurk undetected in the area? It is just the sort of species that might.

[Roger Gibbons]

Here are a few images mostly from Var in southern France, taken in the spring of 2015.

This is the first generation the Map butterfly (Araschnia levana) from Lyon in April. It is fairly well known that the second generation is completely different (A. l. prorsa). It doesn’t fly in Provence and I often see prorsa in central and northern France, but rarely levana. It is surprisingly small when you see it in the field. It is called Map because the underside resembles a map.

This is the misnamed Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius), named because of its rarity in England in the 18th century, rather inappropriately because it is decidedly more common than Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) in France. The butterfly in the shot had only just emerged and was probably still in the process of drying its wings.

This is a mating pair of Chequered Blues (Scolitantides orion), the fresher, larger female on the left. It is quite a scarce customer in Provence, but not actually rare.

This is a female Iolas Blue (Iolana iolas), which is quite rare in Provence. It is the largest blue in Europe.

These are mating Pearly Heaths (Coenonympha arcania), very appealing when fresh. They were about 2m up in a tree and I’m not sure how they managed to hang on in that pose.

France has 237 mainland species, plus several Corsican endemics. In wandering around southern France this spring and summer I have managed to see 192 of those, with perhaps another five more to add when I go back at the end of August.

More to follow.

[Chris Jackson]

Some great photos of exciting species, Roger.
You have certainly kept yourself busy.
The burning question is, of course, what are the 5 species that could possibly be missing from your target list ?
Chris

[Roger Gibbons]

Easy ones for you, Chris – Tree Grayling, False Grayling, Autumn Ringlet, Cinquefoil Skipper, Sage Skipper (at Ste Baume). If I’m lucky, also Striped Grayling, Hermit, Black Satyr.

Curiously, I did not see Lesser/Small Mountain Ringlet (an "easy" species) or Scotch Argus, which were everywhere in central France last year. I'm sure I saw Woodland Ringlet as they could not have been anything else (location/altitude, date), but did not include them as I didn't positively identify them.

Chris (Matzukaze) - Black Hairstreak may indeed still be lurking in some distant corner of Var. I'll note to have a look next May. I found Brown Hairstreak in northern Var a few years back, much to the surprise of the local experts.

[Roger Gibbons]

Some more images:

These are mating Spanish Festoons (Zerynthia rumina). The number of photos of mating pairs reflects the limited opportunities to get decent photos in Var where butterflies tend to be hyperactive and fly non-stop in warm weather.

A Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris), probably a more widely distributed species than the books suggest, as it is rather sedentary.

A White Admiral (Limenitis camilla), a species I don’t get to see very often as it doesn’t fly in southern Provence (we get the Southern WA Limenitis reducta), although we did get to see it in the Alpes de Haute Provence and in the Alpes Maritimes, where the PACA Atlas suggests it is rarely encountered. This one was in central France, where it was on the ground with an immaculate Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) which was posing perfectly on the ground when a lorry thundered past and it was never seen again.

This is a female Violet Copper (Lycaena helle) seen on 13 June, rather late for this species (2015 was apparently an early season in many regions, but maybe not so in central/eastern France).

A male Duke Of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), a species I find quite regularly at medium altitude of 1000m or so. It is usually quite territorial, and aggressively chases off any interlopers.

More to follow.

[David M]

Great stuff, Roger. I believe I recognise that Scarce Swallowtail!

[Tony Moore]

Seriously wonderful photographs - very interested to hear your technique of shutter-speed priority. Terrific posts - many thanks..

Tony M.

[Roger Gibbons]

He was a very obliging Scarce Swallowtail, wasn't he, David. I think he would have flipped over and given us an underside shot if we had asked.