Marseilles and its region 2016

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,
A couple of recent piccies from this week-end.
This place at 650 m ASL in the west Var still has 30 + BF species flying. It is 2 degrees cooler than at lower altitudes.
Lower down in the Bouches du Rhone, the heat has sent many species into hiding until September.
There are fewer flowers around at the moment, but it is the season for Southern Globethistle, and although it looks dry and spikey, it produces nectar and is a draw for many butterfly species:

Chapman's Blue :

A female Furry Blue, some looking worn although they have another possible 3 weeks flight period.

False Grayling - few in number:

Cheers, Chris

[Charles Nicol]

Hi Folks,
A couple of recent piccies from this week-end.
This place at 650 m ASL in the west Var still has 30 + BF species flying. It is 2 degrees cooler than at lower altitudes.
Lower down in the Bouches du Rhone, the heat has sent many species into hiding until September.
There are fewer flowers around at the moment, but it is the season for Southern Globethistle, and although it looks dry and spikey, it produces nectar and is a draw for many butterfly species:

Vallon 07Aug16 (48).JPG

Chapman's Blue :

thersites8_83 male Vallon du Cros 07Aug16 (10).JPG

thersites8_83 male Vallon du Cros 07Aug16 (5).JPG

A female Furry Blue, some looking worn although they have another possible 3 weeks flight period.

dolus15_83 female Vallon 07Aug16.JPG

False Grayling - few in number:

arethusa7_83 Vallon 07Aug16 (3).JPG

Cheers, Chris

very nice pics Chris

i am going to look for the Emperors this afternoon

[Chris Jackson]

Wildfires in the South of France
Yesterday, August 10th, many wildfires started (or were started) precisely around where I work, in Vitrolles, near Marseilles, South of France.
Both of my lunchtime butterflying spots were razed to the ground.
Photos:
Late afternoon on the 10th when the fires were threatening my workplace Olive Grove butterfly site:

This site is (was) home to 47 species over the season.
The morning of the 11th showing just a smoldering crater with a few resistant olive trees and 2 or 3 hardy oaks:

A few hundred yards away on top of the plateau of Vitrolles, the same scenes of desolation at my other lunchtime butterfly site.
This site is (was) home to 39 species over the season.

Here are the charred remains of the entrance on the fireroad up onto the plateau of Vitrolles, just next to my workplace.

Here are our offices which narrowly escaped damage late yesterday evening:

I'm sure the scrub will all grow back again but it could take a few years.
Chris

[Charles Nicol]

so sorry to hear about your butterfly spots being burnt down Chris

they will eventually spring back....

[David M]

Devastating stuff, Chris. I'm sure it will recover eventually, but like you say, this won't happen overnight.

[CFB]

Chris,

I was very sorry to hear about the fires, but pleased to hear that you and your workplace are still intact.

Best wishes,
Colin

[Chris Jackson]

Thank you Charles, David and Colin for your concern,
I have a big task in front of me in the coming years, monitoring future fauna and flora in these burnt-out places.
Here are other shocking images within the scope of this wildfire (for newcomers, see wildfire above).
This Spring, just 10 minutes away from work at lunchtime on my motorbike, I discovered a colony of Spanish Festoon.
Here is one from this April.

I was planning on nailing down its flight period in 2017. It was seen in this environment on the plateau of Vitrolles:

Its host plant, Aristoloche pistoloche, was also in this gulley:

This is exactly the same place now after the recent fire:

The host plant, Aristoloche pistoloche, may rise again from its roots in the ground, but how will Spanish Festoon return ?
Chris

[David M]

Heartbreaking stuff, Chris, only reinforced by those stark images.

Hopefully, there'll be colonies in reasonably close proximity which can repopulate this area once it's on the road to recovery.

If only you could take just 20% of our rainfall! It would make life far easier for all of us.

[Chris Jackson]

I think we could do with some of your rain, David. For the whole of next week its going to be as dry as a bone in the South of France.

As I said earlier in your thread, I don't have Brown Hairstreaks around Marseilles, but I do have this.
Slightly inland, in the west Var, at about 650 m ASL.
SPECIES 139 : Sage Skipper.
Now is the moment to see this species. The largest population is from mid August.
A pair mating.

Their host plant is Phlomis herba-venti, seen here, dried up in the foreground (some (Roger, Sylvie) may recognise the backdrop):

Also to be seen at the moment in the same place, Chapman's Blue (female) :

Cheers,
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,
Bit of an update on what is still flying down here in central southern France.
Yesterday, September 3rd in the west Var, I counted 30+ species still on the wing.
These included :
Silver-spotted Skipper (these were really out in force, the most dense population at the moment)

Possibly my last sighting this year of Furry Blue - I saw two female stragglers. Last year they also flew up to the 1st week of September

Here is some fennel in the foreground:

It was home to 2 Swallowtail caterpillars, however I suspect they are both parasited

I've seen fewer Large Wall than last year

On the other hand SWF have prospered and the percentage of female form valezina has been very high, almost the norm

A male Chapman's Blue, I believe

A couple of courting Auspicious Burnet moths

And its the height of the season for Sage Skipper

Cheers, Chris

[NickC]

Chris, those auspicious burnet moths are beautiful, and wonderfully captured while courting. Thanks for posting them.

[Chris Jackson]

... wonderfully captured while courting ...

Thanks Nick, but I'll let Mr. Panasonic take the credit for that, if any. The male was hovering just above the female, and with a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000, my FZ150 only just managed to capture a 'still-ish' shot. I should have persisted, I'm sure I would have got better images.

Cheers, Chris

Here are some more blurred shots that could have been better

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,

Drat !!! I missed the emergence of a Swallowtail by a matter of minutes.
My son called me to look at a butterfly on his window frame at 7.30 this morning (in Marseilles).
Clearly the butterfly had emerged only a short time earlier. Here are the photos:

Chris

[LancsRover]

Great photo's Chris and hard luck.
Russ

[Charles Nicol]

Hi Folks,

Drat !!! I missed the emergence of a Swallowtail by a matter of minutes.
My son called me to look at a butterfly on his window frame at 7.30 this morning (in Marseilles).
Clearly the butterfly had emerged only a short time earlier. Here at the photos:

machaon25 and chrysallis Les Cigales Marseille 16Sep16 (1).JPG

machaon25 and chrysallis Les Cigales Marseille 16Sep16 (2).JPG

machaon25 and chrysallis Les Cigales Marseille 16Sep16 (3).JPG

machaon25 and chrysallis Les Cigales Marseille 16Sep16 (4).JPG

machaon25 and chrysallis Les Cigales Marseille 16Sep16 (5).JPG

Chris

Gorgeous pictures of a wonderful creature !

Chapeau

[NickC]

You may be sad you missed the emergence, but wow, what a lovely set of photos of a pristine swallowtail.

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks Russ, Charles and Nick for your comments.
I'm blessed anyway to have Swallowtails in my garden, knowing that not everyone is as priviledged, so I can't complain.

Sunday 02 October 2016

I read that the butterfly season is slowing down rapidly in the UK. Down here in the South of France, it is slowing down, but it is dragging its feet.
We have températures with a lo of 15° and high of 25°C, and shadows are getting longer.
Today in my area I counted 22 species of BF.
Some of these butterflies are tired and on their last legs, whereas others are looking quite fresh and vigourous.
Here is the list : boeticus, pirithous, megera, icarus, thersites ?, bellargus, crocea, daplidice, coridon, statilinus, circe, reducta, alfacariensis, cardui, brassicae, semele, rapae, maera, atalanta, agestis, dia, pamphilus.
Southern White Admiral - probably the last individual of the season

Uncertain Pyrgus (NB: armoricanus)

Surprising - a fresh Large Wall

Only one male CHB seen

Here is some context from the West Var at 650 m alt.

These yellow flowers are Ditrichia viscosa (Sticky fleabane) and attract Bath Whites, Cloudies, Painted Ladies and many other insects

A fresh Long-tailed Blue

A worn but recognisable Adonis Blue

According to my records, I have at most 2 weeks in front of me before butterfly species counts drop dramatically.
Cheers, Chris

[Charles Nicol]

make the most of the next few weeks !!

[Chris Jackson]

Yes Charles, I will
*****************************************


Hi Folks,

Remember this place ? It is my lunchtime haunt which was razed to the ground by wildfires on August 10th.

It is however slowly coming back to life.
Butterfly sightings this week on the edge of the burnt area: atalanta, pirithous, brassicae, daplidice, rapae, megera, boeticus, machaon, podalirius, semele, cardui, crocea, jasius.

Some plants are pushing through the burnt earth. Butterflies were nectaring on these small flowers:

Other bulb plants are coming up although I'm not sure that its the right period.

A female Bath White was trying to oviposit on minute bits of greenery pushing up between the stones.

There were a few red dragonflies about, any many more green ones.
Burnt stems are the only perches available.
Can someone help me identify them please.

Thanks, Chris

[Padfield]

Hi Chris. Your dragonflies are male and female (respectively) red-veined darter, Sympetrum fonscolombii.

I didn't comment earlier, but I suspect (and hope) you will be pleasantly surprised by the speed with which the scorched earth comes back to life. I know that heathland fires burn upwards so intensely that amphibians and reptiles can survive beneath the fire - the surface of the ground remains at a much lower temperature. I don't know if that is true of your scrub but I can imagine a similar effect. At and beneath the surface there will be life just bursting to get out! We must hope so, anyway.

Guy