Butterflies of Var, Southern France

[Roger Gibbons]

A few more:

This is a male Purple-edged Copper (Lycaena hippothoe) from the Jura region of eastern France. The nominate, low altitude, species has extensive purple and the high altitude (1600m and above) subspecies L. h. eurydame has none, but this one seems to be rather an intermediate form. The altitude was around 1000m.

This is a mating pair of Turquoise Blues (Polyommatus dorylas), the browner female being of the left. Often the red-orange marks are quite clearly heart-shaped, but these, especially the female, are just rather splodgy.

This is a male Southern Swallowtail (Papilio alexanor) warming up on a rock. This is easily the rarest of the three Swallowtails that occur in France. They normally fly continuously up and down steep rocky scree, so best to get photos at the beginning or end of the day. They roost with open wings, apparently, although I’ve never seen it.

This is a male False Ringlet (Coenonympha oedippus), totally inappropriately named as it is a member of the Heath family. It is a rare and threatened species of the wetlands. It is actually quite large for a Heath, probably the largest of the group.

This is – and it’s hard to make exactly what is going on here – a mating pair of Small Apollos (Parnassius phoebus), the yellower female being on the left. It is actually mating with the male in the foreground, while the male in the background is trying to join the party, quite forcibly.

More to follow.

[David M]

Excellent images of mostly quite iconic species there, Roger.

Must admit though that I haven't seen such a deep yellow colouring on female Small Apollo before. Is the specimen in your last image unusually yellow or is it just that I haven't seen that many females?

[Chris Jackson]

Hello Roger,
I have just noticed the recent update of the Pyrgus identification pages on your website, with the Pyrgus undersides :
http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... photos.htm
and Pyrgus uppersides :
http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... photos.htm
plus of course the descriptive pages.
I am looking forward to photographing some difficult Pyrgus in France in 2016 and then comparing them with your ID images.
Cheers, Chris

[David M]

When/where did you get the images of bellieri, Roger?

[Roger Gibbons]

It was on 27 June, David, on a zig-zag track behind a small hotel you may be familiar with. During the week after we were there in 2015, it has been reported to me that they were there in reasonable numbers, so that bodes well for you in 2016.

Apologies to everyone who will have no idea what we are talking about, but I'm just following the UKB principle of not revealing the exact locations of rare species.

Roger

[Roger Gibbons]

Just for fun (and interpretations may vary), a while ago I tried to produce a key for identifying Pyrgus species.

http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... rsides.htm

http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... rsides.htm

I’d be interested in any comments on this. It’s not a coincidence that no. 30 on each is “this just doesn’t fit anything” because there are quite a few that just can’t be identified with any degree of confidence, maybe only narrowed down to two or three possibilities.

Roger

[LancsRover]

Hi Roger, your info. and especially your diagrams will certainly help me because I seem to come across Pyrgus species quite a lot on my travels in France and Spain and every help I get is needed.
Cheers Russ.

[David M]

It was on 27 June, David, on a zig-zag track behind a small hotel you may be familiar with. During the week after we were there in 2015, it has been reported to me that they were there in reasonable numbers, so that bodes well for you in 2016.

Ah, yes. I remember you talking about it. I hope we see some this summer as this is one critter that I need an audience with for ID purposes. I think I've 'got' Safflower, Carline, Dusky & Oberthur's now, but an introduction to Foulquier's would be most welcome!

[Chris Jackson]

... a while ago I tried to produce a key for identifying Pyrgus species.

http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... rsides.htm

http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... rsides.htm

I’d be interested in any comments on this. ......
Roger

Your Pyrgus ID keys do work, Roger.
They suppose however that one has clear underside and upperside photos of fresh individuals with upper hindwings visible. This is not always the case for myself .
Perhaps the relevant applicable photo could be added in a column at the end of the table to illustrate the result of the key.
Those clear photos that I do have are immediately identifiable thanks to the quality of your upperside and underside ID photo shots, here :
http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... photos.htm
and here :
http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... photos.htm

For the more uncertain ID cases (worn, tattered or faded individuals or unclear or skew-angle photos), I'm sure nothing will replace individual expert opinion with other pertinent clues (geographical location, altitude and flight period).
I'm looking forward to my first 2016 skipper (and Pyrgus) sightings in France.

Chris

[Roger Gibbons]

It seems to be a slightly early season here in Var, with some species already showing some signs of wear. After five days, here is the list of species seen so far, not a lot different to Chris' and Colin's:

Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides)
Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)
Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius)
Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes baton)
Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops)
Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
Chapman's Green Hairstreak (Callophrys avis)
Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)
Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus)
Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)
Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena)
Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina)
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea)
Dappled White (Euchloe crameri)
Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
Large White (Pieris brassicae)
Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
Provence Orange Tip (Anthocharis euphenoides)
Small White (Pieris rapae)
Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Spring Ringlet (Erebia epistygne)
Wall (Lasiommata megera)

Roger

[Chris Jackson]

Hello Roger,

We're back from hols. I see you've wasted no time getting your 2016 check-list up to speed.
You are ahead of me with these species:
pamphilus, sertorius, avis, reducta,
and I'm hoping to spot Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena) and
Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) today.

I'll be visiting a little spot not far from Mazau.... then I'll be doing the SteBme.
Your sighting of Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta) seems very early to me - I usually have to wait till mid May.
How friendly did you get with the Spring Ringlet (Erebia epistygne) ? Any photos ?

Cheers, Chris

[Roger Gibbons]

Hi Chris,

The reducta was immaculate and, yes, I was very surprised to see it this early as I think my earliest sighting is around the end of April.

You would be very fortunate to see avis as it is very localised. Here is a shot of both avis and rubi on White Asphodel (Asphodelus albus), rubi above. You can see the difference in the stripiness of the antennae and legs and the end of the antennal club.

I did manage to see epistygne. There were about five flying but non-stop and when they did settle, it was deep in the undergrowth. Later in the afternoon they became less active but I only managed a rather blurry open-wing shot.

You should get rumina at the site you are going to today. It sounds like a good trip to Drome last week with two life-ticks - they get increasingly hard to find. I have nine yet to see (228 of 237 seen), not that I'm obsessive about it

Here is one of the many ballus I saw on Monday, nice and fresh although not all were (low-res photos):

[Roger Gibbons]

An update on the past week. Another 18 species seen as per the list below, bringing the year total to 52. We went to LesA (Chris and David M will know this site) yesterday and 36 species were flying. There does seem to be some evidence that 2016 is an early season as the sightings of Osiris Blue and Provence Chalk-hill Blue are rather earlier than usual.

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi)
Nettle Tree (Libythea celtis)
Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus)
Provence Chalk-hill Blue (Polyommatus hispanus)
Chapman’s Blue (Polyommatus thersites)
Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)
Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)
Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa)
Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)
Comma (Polygonia c-album)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
Bath White (Pontia daplidice)

A few photos:

Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa), one of two flying treating us to a magnificent flying display. Nothing flies quite as effortlessly as antiopa. Not in bad condition after over-wintering.

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).This male onopordi might help to show the differences in hindwing markings between this and malvoides.

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina). A female underside.

Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena).

The south of France is exceptionally green and flower-filled at this time of the year, and the butterflies are superb. I would recommend a trip to this part of the world at this time of the year, or any time up to the end of May (even up to mid-June, but it is getting quite warm by then), as several UKBers have already done. One suggestion is to fly to Nice, hire a car, and meander west and fly back from Marseille.

Roger

[Chris Jackson]

Hello Roger,
52 species is not bad for barely two weeks spent in France. Where you are staying is clearly particularly rich in early species.
Your 4 photos above about sum up some of the most desirable species I have not (yet) photographed this year.
Who knows, the season has only just started .
Cheers, Chris

[Roger Gibbons]

Provence Chalk-hill Blue (Polyommatus hispanus) is out in huge numbers in Var at the moment, but this apparent aberration caught my eye. I have seen this before in coridon but never before in hispanus. I think the coridon form is called corydonis, but will need to check this when back in the UK.

It's easy to be sure that this is hispanus and not coridon for two reasons: 1) coridon does not fly this south in Var and 2) hispanus is double-brooded and emerges in early spring, whereas coridon emerges much later. Clues like this make ID much easier.

Roger

[Chris Jackson]

A very interesting abberation, Roger.
I am still waiting to see my first hispanus over here in the Bouches du Rhône. They are not a guaranteed sighting at low level near the coast, I may have to go inland and upland a little, and therefore wait a week or so more.
Cheers, Chris

[Roger Gibbons]

Some friends of ours were given a caterpillar that had been found on an Oleander bush. It turned into this:

And a short while later this Oleander Hawkmoth emerged:

It just took my breath away. I can't think of words to describe it.

[Sylvie_h]

Hi Roger,

Thank you for sharing.
What a stunning and beautiful moth!! How lucky you are ! Did you see it emerging?
Sylvie

[Roger Gibbons]

Hi Sylvie,

Yes, lucky indeed. I felt I was only going to see this once in my lifetime. It was at our friend's house in Callas, half an hour from us, and it emerged during the night. We got the text at 8.30 am to say it's out, jump in the car.

It was placed on an Oleander bush and the conditions were perfect for taking a photo, good light and - amazingly - no wind.

We have seen a few Hawk-moths over the years and we are planning to see what results from a moth trap next spring.

Roger

[David M]

That truly is a work of art, Roger. It almost doesn't look real. The pattern, the colours, the size, the shape.....all these combined make this insect very precious indeed. No wonder you reacted so quickly.