Greenwings: Eastern French Pyrenees, 20th - 30th May 2019

[David M]

Nymphalids - Aristocrats

The big surprise was reaching double figure numbers of Camberwell Beauties. In fact, at one location there were two fighting over a stretch of river.

As ever seems to be the case, they were awkward to photograph, being either too high up or, when they DID descend, settling at the wrong angle:

Small Tortoiseshells popped up regularly (they always seem to be much larger than ours at home) but, sadly, there were no Large Tortoiseshells this year.

Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Comma were only seen in single figure numbers, and a return of just two Southern White Admirals was disappointing:

However, for the first time on this trip I spotted a Nettle Tree Butterfly. It was a tatty individual, but it was clearly identifiable as celtis as it perched on a leaf tip some 5 or 6 feet above our heads.

[David M]

The other surprise and great delight was seeing several spring brood Maps, all of which were in decent condition. I'd hitherto only ever seen two worn individuals from this earlier brood, and it was very pleasing to be able to watch them going about their business:

[David M]

30. Small Tortoiseshell
31. Nettle Tree Butterfly
32. Map
33. Comma
34. Peacock
35. Southern White Admiral
36. Camberwell Beauty
37. Red Admiral
38. Painted Lady

[David M]

Nymphalids - erebia

Normally there's only one species recorded on this trip - DePrunner's Ringlet. Again, they were relatively commonplace but at low density:

However, a trip to the Aude departement saw a single Bright Eyed Ringlet, although it appeared at exactly the same time I was concentrating on Maps, so I didn't get an image.

[David M]

39. DePrunner's Ringlet
40. Bright Eyed Ringlet

[NickMorgan]

Wow, this looks like it was an amazing trip. I have always wanted to return to the Pyrenees. I used to be dragged there a lot as a child when my father worked in France. Sadly in those days I didn't appreciate the fauna or flora, but I do remember a lot of wild flowers and butterflies. I am looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.

[David M]

Wow, this looks like it was an amazing trip. I have always wanted to return to the Pyrenees. I used to be dragged there a lot as a child when my father worked in France. Sadly in those days I didn't appreciate the fauna or flora, but I do remember a lot of wild flowers and butterflies. I am looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.

Thanks, Nick. Seems ironic that you had to be dragged to a place that would now appear heaven on earth!

You should pay the area a visit again if you get chance. It is fabulous in every way (except the local drivers!)

[David M]

Nymphalids - Fritillaries

As ever, there was an impressive range of Fritillaries on offer, although sadly I missed out on the solitary Cardinal seen.

Glanville Fritillary was again the commonest, although there were quite a few Provençal Frits too:

We searched high and low for the incredibly rare Spanish Fritillary, but I'm afraid it eluded us this year. However, there was compensation by way of decent numbers of the beckeri form of Marsh Fritillary, including a mating pair:

A progressive increase in numbers as the trip went on suggested that Knapweed Fritillaries were just emerging. Practically all were mint fresh:

The odd Weaver's and Queen of Spain would turn up every now and then, and at altitude, as well as Pearl Bordered Fritillary, there were lovely, dainty Meadow Frits about:

Spotted, Heath & False Heath were also recorded in low numbers.

[Lee Hurrell]

Great report and photos so far, David. I would love to visit The Pyrenees!

Best wishes,

Lee

[David M]

Thanks, Lee. This is a great area in late May, with a handful of iconic species.

Well worth a visit.

[Chris Jackson]

Spring brood Maps!
High on my wish list
Chris

[David M]

Spring brood Maps!
High on my wish list

We actually found them in the Aude, Chris. We've never come across them in the Pyrenees Orientales, sadly.

[David M]

41. Provençal Fritillary
42. Weaver's Fritillary
43. Pearl Bordered Fritillary
44. Marsh Fritillary
45. Queen of Spain Fritillary
46. Heath Fritillary
47. False Heath Fritillary
48. Glanville Fritillary
49. Spotted Fritillary
50. Meadow Fritillary
51. Knapweed Fritillary

[David M]

Nymphalidae - Satyrids

Incredibly, had I not returned to the most easterly site on the final day, I'd have missed out on Spanish Gatekeeper.

A small number had been seen on a cloudy morning by some, but given that this butterfly can be about in the hundreds, I couldn't go home without seeing it:

The other 'must see' in this group is Western Marbled White, the most attractive of all the melanargia in my opinion. Thankfully, they weren't difficult to find:

[David M]

52. Pearly Heath
53. Small Heath
54. Large Wall
55. Wall
56. Spanish Gatekeeper
57. Meadow Brown
58. Western Marbled White
59. Speckled Wood

[petesmith]

Great stuff David! I agree that the Western Marbled White is indeed a stunning Melanargia. I have just returned from Provence, where they were plentiful in some locations, and an absolute pleasure to see.

[essexbuzzard]

I’m with Chris. Spring brood maps are to die for!

[David M]

Thanks, Pete/Mark. Yes, lots of lovely butterflies and I was particularly delighted with the Maps as I'd only seen the spring brood twice before, and on both occasions it was a tatty individual. The late season this year has clearly kept them fresh for that bit longer.

[David M]

Lycaenidae - Blues

This group is always very well represented in this part of the world, and this year was no exception.

Adonis Blue was probably the commonest species, but in the drier areas, Turquoise Blue can be quite numerous. This stunning female was irresistible:

Green Underside Blue is another delight, and it seems every year we manage to find at least one mating pair:

Once again, there were plenty of gorgeous Chequered Blues around:

[David M]

Osiris Blue is normally found in reasonable numbers, so when I saw a couple early in the trip, I only took this one image as I expected there to be more. Sadly, none could be found later on in the trip:

By contrast, there were no Mazarine Blues at the start, but a couple were seen on Day 4 and they became progressively more frequent after that:

On the final full day, Amanda's Blue graced us with its welcome presence:

Other species seen were Chapman's Blue, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Provençal Short Tailed Blue, Geranium Bronze, Small Blue, Brown Argus & Silver Studded Blue.

There was also a Lang's Short Tailed Blue seen by one of the group but not by me.