France,Switzerland,Italy late 2016.

[LancsRover]

Cheers John, I'm going to post a dragonfly on the ID section, have a look at it, but I don't think we have it in UK?
Russ.

[LancsRover]

A short report on the butterflies on our camp site,
WEEKEND C/S, Cisano, nr. San Felice Del Benaco, Lago Garda.
The following b/f's have all been seen on our beautiful c/s over looking Lago Garda, most on my "pitch" itself.

Geranium Bronze,
Small Copper,
Small Heath,
Silver-washed Frit.
Speckled Wood,
Red Admiral,
Common Blue,
Small White,
Humming-bird Hawk-moth
and a large rabbit(just the one).
plus a couple of lake shots.
Russ

[LancsRover]

Tuesday 27th Sept. 2016. Sunny 22c in the mountains.

A trip into the mountains in our motorhome, squeezing through the tight villages and narrow roads to a height of 1100 metres(approx.)
We didn't stray to far from the road, so we could keep our "van" in view for security reasons but we did see;
Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Large Wall Brown, Silver-washed Frit and Great-banded Grayling, also a herd of wild goats, a snake and the village "moggy".
Some of the butterflies were looking the worst for wear, mainly due to the end of their flight period.
Pics on next report, due to poor internet.

Russ

[LancsRover]

Photo's from last report.
Russ

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Russ,
It looks like your holidays are successful. No climatic catastrophes.
I particularly like the Duelling Small Heaths further up - its not often that we see uppersides.
Take it easy.
Cheers, Chris

[bugboy]

Hi Russ, that Blue looks like a male Silver-studded Blue.

[David M]

Hi Russ, that Blue looks like a male Silver-studded Blue.

It's certainly not a Common Blue. The ground colour/wing shape is all wrong.

[Padfield]

I would say the blue is idas - this is often on the wing late in the year - and the grayling is surely fagi (woodland) not circe (great banded).

Guy

[LancsRover]

Hi Chris, on the whole the weather has been very good, 30c the first week(too hot), around 25c most of the remaining time, with a couple of heavy thunder storms thrown in, the last few days the temperature has dropped to between 16 & 20c but we are now in October in a mountain region
I had to take a photo of the small heaths to see what they were, they were spinning around each other for ages, little orange jobs.

Cheers Russ

[LancsRover]

Hi Bugboy, you weren't far away with Silver-studded Blue, for Idas Blue. I'm afraid I struggle with blues... and browns... and graylings, etc, still learning

Cheers Russ
Ps I've got some more "Blues" coming up, so keep following please.

[LancsRover]

Hi Bugboy, you weren't far away with Silver-studded Blue, for Idas Blue. I'm afraid I struggle with blues... and browns... and graylings, etc, still learning

Cheers Russ
Ps I've got some more "Blues" coming up, so keep following please.

Hi David, keep following also.

[LancsRover]

Thanks again Guy, good job someone is correcting my vain attempts but on the positive side another 2 "lifers"

Cheers Russ

[LancsRover]

Thursday 29th Sept. 2016. 22c sunny.
A bike ride to a local village called Castello about 6km away from our camp site on minor roads through vineyards and olive groves.
I had seen a Bath White in a field at the side of the road the day before but I didn't have my camera as it was a social ride with friends, so I came back today by myself.
I went to the same area and it didn't take long to find another Bath White as well as Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Small Heath, Small White, Small Copper and Speckled Wood, plus a Turtle/Terrapin in a small pond.
Russ.
Photo's to follow.

[LancsRover]

Photo's from last report;

[LancsRover]

Thursday 29th Sept.2016 ...Cont'd
On my way back from my cycle ride to Castello, after I'd found my Bath White, I was taking the back roads to my camp site when I nearly ran over a very large caterpillar, which Guy kindly ID as a CONVOLVULUS HAWK MOTH. I took a few photo's of the same, then I noticed a grassy bank full of wild flower which was teeming with butterflies.
I walked down the track between a vineyard and a olive grove to where the butterflies were flying, here I found tens of Small Heath, Walls 10+, Small Whites 10+, Red Admirals 10+ zooming in and out of the vineyard, plenty of Blues which I thought were all Common but one looked a little different from the rest, it was a pristine Adonis Blue(1st of the trip), just the one(pics below), other b/f's seen include Clouded Yellow, 2/3 Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Geranium Bronze and a Carpenter Bee
Photo's below on next report.
Russ

[LancsRover]

Photo's from my last report(29.9.16)
Russ

[LancsRover]

Monday 3rd Oct.2016. 20c Sunny
Another visit back to the flower bank between the vineyard and the olive grove just off the cycle road, some 3km from our camp site.
Today I found a Queen of Spain Frit.(just the one), another Adonis Blue this one a little more faded than the one a few days ago, a light coloured skipper probable a Oberthurs Grizzled, positive ID would be appreciated and what I think is a pale Green-veined White but it could be a small white, my only pic. isn't sharp, so I can't see any little black triangles at the end of the veins for a green-vein.
All the other previously mentioned butterflies still flying in this area.
Russ
Photo's slow uploading, I will put on following report.

[LancsRover]

Photo's from last report(3.10.16.)
Russ

[Lee Hurrell]

Lovely shots, Russ.

Yes, it's a Green-veined White. You can just make out faint markings along the veins.

Best wishes,

Lee

[LancsRover]

Thanks for that Lee, I wasn't 100%, it looked lighter on my photo before I uploaded it. That's my excuse anyway
Cheers Russ