Marseilles South of France 2017

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Russ,
Regarding Provence Hairstreaks, I have since seen your postings on your thread. This really is a special species. In France unfortunately it is at risk due to collectors.

Hi David,
Although the Provence Hairstreak is more well known in the Var, there is a very small site in the east of the Bouches du Rhone. I'm very worried about its sustainability due to collectors and trampling of the host plant by animals.

Thanks Essex for the flower ID.
The Provence Hairstreak in the South of France runs from mid March to mid April. A very short and precise flight period. In Spain, the flight period may be quite a bit longer and the domain is certainly larger. Today I had my fill. Here below are my final photo shots before I move on to other species.
1st pair

2nd pair with wings barely dried

3rd pair

possibly male

possible female

Context for Tomares ballus:

The early season species down here are dynamic and you have to be agile and move your attention to the following species before you are overtaken by events and uncertain weather.
Provence Orange Tip should be along soon.
Cheers, Chris

[David M]

Fantastic work, Chris. This is a really interesting little butterfly and it's such a shame that there are still collectors out there trying to take them.

Your context shot looks 'spot on' for this species....much like the two sites where I've seen them.

[bugboy]

One of many continental species that vie for the top of my to see bucket list.

[Chris Jackson]

Hi David,
The first time I saw a Provence Hairstreak was with yourself and Roger G. in the Var in April a couple of years back. I now have a local site I can monitor. I'm a happy bunny.
On that same occasion, I saw my first Southern Festoon with you both, 1 and a half hours east of Marseilles in the Var. Well can you believe that today I found a Z. polyxena site just 12 minutes from work in Vitrolles ? . See below.

Hi Bugboy,
Glad you are enthusiastic about T. ballus, however they are a protected species in France and there is a lot of hush-hush surrounding them - understandably so. I am trying to accurately grasp their flight period here and to date I have it as between March 17 and April 18. I will continue monitoring it.
You may wish to look away now with my next subject.

Today, during my lunch break, I saw 20+ Southern Festoon. This is a very recent emergence, and the only other report I have from this site is from yesterday.
Southern Festoon:
This is 1 presentable photo out of 50-odd photos I took. All the others have a blade of grass in front of the butterfly - a tricky subject to photograph amongst the marsh grasses. Unfortunately my lunch break was drawing to an end and I had to rush back to work.

Here is it's very boggy context:

Welly boots are highly advisable:

Cheers, Chris

[David M]

Wow! How did that discovery come about, Chris? Were you tipped off or was it just a hunch?

Either way, it's great that you now have a local site for this beautiful insect, and it just demonstrates how much more there is to unmask in France than there is in the UK.

[NickMorgan]

Those are fantastic pictures of the mating pairs of Provence Hairstreaks. They must be so difficult to spot when their wings are closed up like that. I think I have only previously seen pictures of them with the orange much more apparent.
The Festoons are always a joy to find, particularly in such numbers. I have always found them difficult to photograph, as they never seem to sit at the right angle, or without a blade of grass in front of them!!

[NickC]

What a lovely butterfly the southern festoon is. Great photo too.

[Chris Jackson]

David,
To find the Z. polyxena site, I cross-referenced birder BF sightings with Google map locations. I find that birders are a thorough and accurate community. An example to be followed !!

Hi Nick M,
My Provence Hairstreak site is little more than the size of a tennis court, so if they are there, they can be found !! A tennis court is a worryingly small area for sustainability.

Thanks Nick C,
Z. polyxena love putting obstacles between themselves and the camera lens. They may do it on purpose for camouflage reasons.

Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Folks,
Down here, the end of March is proving to be an exciting time. April is just around the corner and butterfly species are emerging.
Here is a selection of what I am seeing at the moment:
This is the floor of the burnt-out scrub at my workplace showing remarkable recovery:

Here is an Early Spider Orchid - corrections welcome:

A Black-eyed Blue seen today, already looking a little worn around the edges:
Uppers:

Unders:

Any suggestions for this butterfly would be welcome - no undersides I'm afraid. Seen on 31st March at 400 m ASL South of France. It is slightly over-exposed. Green-underside Blue?:

My first Weaver's Fritillary of the year - an early season ?

Western Dappled White:

Baton Blue:

Marsh Fritillary caterpillar, seen around Cephalaria leucantha, although there were 3 individuals on this unknown plant:

Cheers,
Chris

[David M]

Isn't nature wonderfully resilient, Chris?

That low growing carpet of green is a major shot in the arm following the destructive fires that swept this patch last summer.

Perhaps some good will come of it. It certainly looks as though there'll be no shortage of life less than a year after its original decimation.

Who knows, the new opportunities for plants to flourish may attract species that you haven't seen there before?

[Chris Jackson]

I live in hope, David .

Hi Folks,
Some recent photos from the South of France:
Wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris) in the scrub:

Southern Festoon eggs on Aristoloche:

Aristoloche rotunda:

an interesting plant:

more eggs:

A reminder of Z. polyxena:

Western Dappled White ovipositing:

Chris

[bugboy]

Some fascinating shots there Chris, I love the low angle you've managed with that ovipositing Dappled White and those Festoons are simply magnificent looking insects

[David M]

Good observations, Chris, and thanks for posting the image of the wild tulip.

I've never seen that before.

[Chris Jackson]

Bugboy,
I have no particular photographic skills, all credit goes to Mister Panasonic FZ150 with his swivelling screen. It is quite versatile and you can whip off shots for ID purposes at all sorts of angles. With a fixed screen you would have to wait for alignment, but with the swivelling screen you can stay squatting in the same position and follow the butterfly as it moves around, one handed, remaining to one side, avoiding casting a shadow, but still seeing what you're aiming at on the screen. Amazing!!

David,
I was surprised when I saw the Wild Tulip, I hadn't seen one in previous years. I should open my eyes more often!!


Hi Folks,
Today I saw my first Common Blue of the year, nearly 3 weeks earlier than last year.
The most heart-lifting part is that I saw it in an area that is recovering from last year's fires.
It most probably blew in from elsewhere.

Here is the olive grove today:

Here is the olive grove in the aftermath of August's fires:

Cheers,
Chris

[William]

Great stuff Chris - really enjoying your finds, particularly the eggs and larvae!

BWs,

William

[Chris Jackson]

... really enjoying your finds, particularly the eggs and larvae ... William

Thanks William. I'll try and follow the progress of the Southern Festoon eggs for you during my lunchbreak, and Marsh Frits should be up and flying in a week or two.

Meanwhile today I managed a double whammy.
For those who don't know what the Zerynthia genus is in France, it includes 2 species:
- There is Z. polyxena that lives near water and has Aristoloche rotunda as host plant,
- Then there is Z. rumina that prefers drier scrub type environments with Aristoloche pistoloche as host plant.
Today I managed to see both species within an hour or so of each other.
This is the Southern Festoon which prefers damp environments:

with its host plant A. rotunda:

This is Spanish Festoon which prefers drier scrub type environments:

Context for the Spanish Festoon:

with its host plant A. pistoloche:

It is starting to warm up now in the South of France ... things are moving too fast.
Cheers, Chris

[essexbuzzard]

That's an interesting observation regarding the two Festoons. Shows how both manage to live almost side by side. I saw the Spanish Festoons by the hundred in Gibraltar last week and, as you say, the habitat is dry and rocky on the rock! Southern Festoons are on my wish list, though.

[Chris Jackson]

... I saw Spanish Festoons by the hundred in Gibraltar last week ...

Wow, Essex, ... in the Marseilles area I see reports only of 2,3 or 4 individuals seen together at the most. They are discrete around here which makes them sought after.

Today I saw my 1st Provence Orange Tip close to home, although there have been sporadic sightings in the Bouches du Rhone for 2 weeks now.
Last year my 1st sighting was the 05 April, this year the 09 April.
Both the Provence Orange Tip and the Western Dappled White use Buckler's Mustard as larval host plant.
Today I witnessed Provence Orange Tip males patrolling Buckler's Mustard pending the arrival of female P.O.T.s
and also Western Dappled Whites laying on the same Buckler's Mustard plants. A curious ballet of species each with their own time scale vying for their place on the same LHP:
First, here is my sighting of a male Provence Orange Tip. The 1st or 2nd week of April is normal:

(backlighting problem )

Western Dappled White female ovipositing on Biscutella laevigata:

The bend in this track has a lot of the host plant:

Here are 2 shots of Buckler's Mustard (Biscutella laevigata) in the foreground with bit of a Provençal backdrop

Chris

[Matsukaze]

I have buckler-mustard flowering now in my garden on the Mendips (admittedly greenhouse-assisted). I am hoping the plant will establish, though I doubt the butterflies will colonise it. Would Orange-tips make use of it?

[essexbuzzard]

Nice to see your Provence Orange Tips are out. Again, they were fairly common in Gibraltar a couple of weeks ago. But I didn't realise dappled whites used the same flower heads for egg laying. Hope they're not canibalistic in the caterpillar stage!