Marseilles and South of France 2018

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks Charles and David.
And yes, David, the sun being not too intense in February probably makes the Western Dappled White a little more lethargic.

Sunday 18 February, about 11°C.
In the south of France on the outskirts of Marseilles yesterday, I had my first distant glimpse this year of a female Cleopatra, which is sufficient for a year tick, and then I saw my first Speckled Wood of 2018, species # 6:

Context:

Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,
The 'beast from the east' (in French "le Moscou -> Paris", which I would translate as the "Moscow-to-Paris express") which touched the South of France, has gone and températures have jumped back up to their seasonal norms in Marseilles for the start of March: 10°C in the morning and 16°C + in the afternoon.
This meant that my sightings today fitted in nicely with what can be expected on this date.
I was disappointed that I didn't see my first Green Hairstreak though.
Species #7 - Nettle-tree Butterfly, on the outskirts of Marseille. The photos are bad because it was perched high up (2nd photo) - a tricky blighter this one:

Context on the outskirts of Marseille:

Here, a female Cleopatra in exactly the same place, which dropped to the ground when a cloud passed over:

Then in my local Parc des Bruyères, a Large Tortoiseshell with its same habits, in the same place, generation after generation, year after year, on the same Lime tree:

What next ? Green Hairstreak or Holly Blue ?
Chris

[David M]

Well done with your Nettle Tree Butterfly, Chris. Yes, it's a difficult critter...almost Hairstreak-like in its insistence on perching above the level of human heads!!

Glad also to see the unseasonal polar cold has vanished from your neck of the woods and if you press me, I believe Green Hairstreak will be next, although surely Large & Small White can't be far away?

[Charles Nicol]

Lovely to see your papillons turning up like clockwork .

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks for your encouragement, Charles. We're up and running.

... Large & Small White can't be far away? ...

Well predicted, David.

Small White #8 seen today. Feeding on White rocket.

Down in the olive grove next to our offices:

Also the now predictable Large Tortoiseshell, I'm becoming a dab hand at second guessing this one:

it lives in these oak trees

And the caterpillar of the Two Tailed Pasha is wakening up and starting to feed here

and here

and here

Cheers,
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Thursday 08 March
14°C, sunny spells

In Vitrolles, south of France

..... and another white ....
#9
Bath White, male:

Chris

[David M]

Loving your new sightings, Chris. Over here, we are really struggling and it's possible I might not see my first butterfly until after the vernal equinox. That's how bad it's been. Temperatures are resolutely in single figures and cloud, wind & rain are often in residence. There's no sign of an end to it, sadly, so it's nice to get a two-dimensional fix from the Marseilles region!

[Charles Nicol]

a fine looking TTP caterpillar there ! he looks like something from the Dan Dare strip.

[Tony Moore]

Dan Dare??? Ahh! Those were the days...

Tony M.

[Charles Nicol]

Dan Dare??? Ahh! Those were the days...

Tony M.

https://downthetubes.net/wp-content/upl ... 0x445.jpeg

Happy times

[Chris Jackson]

Brown Hairstreak eggs (x 10) seen today on Prunus spinosa in the South of France.

Hey ho. Good news.
Chris

[Roger Gibbons]

It's more than good news, Chris, it's almost unbelievable news. Check the PACA Atlas for records of betulae.

If you saw it in your region, it is probably the first ever record. I have only seen betulae twice in Var and this was both times in the far north. When I first recorded it about ten years ago, the locals politely asked if I had a photo. That's conservationist-speak for "we don't believe you".

Roger

[Chris Jackson]

Hello Roger,
I have checked the PACA Atlas and my sighting corresponds to a historical location which has not had reports since the year 2000.
I think that this is simply because people do not go in the field, or previous lepidopterists from the area have moved on or gone to "join that big butterfly site in the sky".
This site has probably continued to exist all this time but being a discrete butterfly, if no-one is in the field, it won't get reported.

The southernmost sighting (blue blob) that you see on this PACA map (see link below) is in fact my sighting of a female T. betulae from last October
I feel that I have made a small but useful contribution to local knowledge.

http://www.cen-paca.org/index.php?rub=3 ... _nom=54319

Cheers,
Chris

[Charles Nicol]

Congratulations on your find Chris !

[Chris Jackson]

Thank you Charles.

Tuesday 13th March - lo of 7°C and hi of 14°C
Here is bit of an update from the south of France.
Sightings today at lunchtime:
Bath White, Large White (species #10), Small White and Red Admiral
Bath White, female, uppers and unders:

Small White:

Giant Orchid (flowering later than last year):

Globularia:

Context - my lunchtime haunt on the plateau of Vitrolles (alt. 120 m):

Chris

[David M]

Great stills of the Bath White, Chris - not an easy butterfly to stalk!

Looks like things are kicking into life for you in the south of France. Thankfully, it's stirred somewhat here too given the light winds and sunny skies today.

Looks like the season is up and running on both sides of the Channel!

[Chris Jackson]

... Looks like the season is up and running on both sides of the Channel! ...

Hi David,
Just having spent 1 week back in Leicester, with the "mini beast from the east", and clearly no chance of spotting a UK butterfly, and then having snow showers welcome me back to Marseilles Marignane airport, I think the season is running a couple of weeks late on both sides of the channel.

However, yesterday the sun came out and temperatures rose to 12°C.

Thursday 22nd March
I went out to try and spot my first Provence Hairstreak of the year but they have not emerged yet, another sign of a late season. This time last year it was 19°C in the afternoon.
But I did see my first Orange Tip #13 of 2018.
Other butterflies seen yesterday near Marseilles:
My first Green Hairstreak #11 of the year:

Small White:

My first Wall Brown #12 of the year:

Female Bath White:

I saw Nettle-tree Butterflies in three different locations, often perched high up, but also attracted to damp earth:

Context for one of the NTBs where I was also hoping for Provence Hairstreak:

Cheers
Chris

[David M]

Lovely selection, Chris, although surely you can only count that as half a Wall Brown?

[Chris Jackson]

Lovely selection, Chris, although surely you can only count that as half a Wall Brown?

Thanks, David.
My new FZ1000 is OK for distant shots, but it doesn't seem to give as good macro results as the FZ150.

Here are some recent photos from the south of France.
This cold spell seems to be holding back the appearance of some spring species, T. ballus, Z. polyxena ...

Last weekend I found Marsh Fritillary caterpillars on 2 different host plants.
This one on Lonicera etrusca (Etruscan honeysuckle):

This one on Cephalaria leucantha:

Here is a bit of context:

This is the context for the Twin-spot Fritillary which should fly in this place end May / beginning June:

The food plant of the caterpillar is Filipendula vulgaris (Fern-leaf dropwort). Here we can see the young shoots growing but the caterpillars have not yet emerged from the leaf litter to start feeding:

Some people may wonder how you could become passionate about all this, but it is like a drug, grovelling in the dirt, trying to get into the intimacy of the lives of butterflies.
Chris

[Tony Moore]

but it is like a drug, grovelling in the dirt, trying to get into the intimacy of the lives of butterflies.

I think we all know where you're coming from on this one, Chris. Two hours scrabbling around on hands and knees looking for Grayling eggs, whilst walkers pass by with pitying expressions on their faces, keeping their children close... More soon, with luck.

Tony M.