Padfield

[Padfield]

I was able to go further east along the Rhône Valley today, where more Camberwell beauties were flying. I was hoping for de Prunner's ringlet, but it seems they are not on the wing yet - surprisingly. I've seen them as early as 15th March in previous years. There was just one grizzled skipper there - again, a surprise - and although plenty of all the usual suspects (the whites, orange tips and hibernators, loads of Queens, a couple of holly blues and a speckled wood) were on the wing, the only new thing for the year was a single scarce swallowtail that cruised past at one point. I then headed back to the western end of the valley, near Martigny, where I saw another scarce swallowtail and plenty of walls and whites but only a couple of grizzled skippers. There were no chequered blues at either site, nor any green hairstreaks (perhaps the most surprising).

ANYWAY, here are a few piccies from the day!

Camberwell beauties:





Queens of Spain:





Southern grizzled skipper (Pyrgus malvoides):



Eastern Bath white:



Speckled woods:




(in Valais, the speckled woods are very orange. They look much more like British speckled woods in Vaud, where I live)

Scarce swallowtail:



Wall lizard:



Dog:



Yesterday, for the first time (amazingly!) I noticed a wall lizard of quite different proportions visible in the vineyards as you take the train up to my (new) home town of Leysin:



I think it's because I normally sit on the other side of the train, so I can see any butterflies out of the window to my left. Yesterday, if I had sat on the left, Minnie would have been in the sun, so I sat on the other side. I think it's a brilliant piece of artwork!

Guy

[robpartridge]

Wonderful photographs as ever. I think the Speckled Wood is particularly beautiful.

What types of wine are produced by those spectacular vineyards, if you don't mind me asking?

[Wurzel]

Fantastic images of the Camberwell - really living up to the name of 'Beauty', stunning

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Some particularly lovely images in that latest post, Guy. Nice to see the colour returning to the landscape.

Those are indeed impressive terraces for the vines. At what altitude is your home in Leysin?

[Padfield]

Hi Rob. I'm not really a connoisseur of wines (more a beer man), but I think those vineyards must belong to Henri Badoux, as his logo is a lizard (I'd noticed it on the bottles, but not previously in the vineyard). If you want to browse the wines, they are here: https://www.henri-badoux.ch/fr/les-vins!

Hi David. The vineyards at that point are between about 430m and 550m, well below Leysin itself (see https://map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swissto ... 11&zoom=10). The train then winds up the hill, stopping at a few stations on the way before the first Leysin station, Leysin Village, at 1289m. That is the closest station to my house. The town itself is spread up the hill, with a further three stations, the last being Leysin Grand Hôtel at 1450m. That is where I do most of my work - what was the 'Grand Hôtel' is now the main campus of Leysin American School. This map https://map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swissto ... .55&zoom=8 shows the town itself.

Agreed Wurzel - Camberwell beauties live up to their names in every way (except for the 'Camberwell' bit! ).

Since my last post, we've had Sahara dust ...



... fresh snow ...



... and beautiful weather:



Yesterday we did a trip along the Rhône Valley, where little by little the season is creaking into action. Here are a few piccies:


(eastern Bath white)


(Berger's clouded yellow)


(small heath)


(green-veined white)


(first painted lady of the year)




(first green hairstreaks of the year)




(common blues)


(Queen of Spain)

After popping briefly down to the valley this morning, we decided on a total contrast this afternoon, heading up to the top of the local mountain:









Unsurprisingly, we saw small tortoiseshells at all altitudes. There were lots at the top, sparring over the snow and occasionally landing on it:



More surprisingly, I saw my first swallowtail of the year at nearly 1900m, heading down the hill. It was in flight only, but I pointed the phone at it on the 3x optical lens and got a proof shot as it disappeared into the distance:



It must have been hilltopping and was now going home for the night.

Eventually, we headed home ourselves down a ski slope, pausing to listen to a ring ouzel singing:





You can't get lost here: all roads lead to Leysin :



Guy

[Padfield]

I was woken by the sound of snowploughs at 05h00 this morning. Winter is back, for at least the rest of this week ...


(morning walkies)


(afternoon walkies)


(a pair of hopeful choughs at my balcony)

There will be no butterflies for a while!

Guy

[robpartridge]

Thanks for the wine information - I drink both!

As for the photos, it's almost like you're on another planet.

[David M]

Looks pretty grim, Guy.

How on earth do these Small Tortoiseshells get through these cold periods? Where do they roost when it's freezing at night with snow lying over the ground?

[Padfield]

Hi Rob. I'm on planet winter at the moment. It has snowed every day for ten days and temperatures have been down to -11°C at night. David asks about the small tortoiseshells: it's the violet fritillaries I'm most worried about at the moment. They began emerging in the local meadows about two weeks ago and this is a grass-roosting species. So I imagine all the adults I saw then are now under 30cm of snow (a lot more has fallen, but some has melted, as at least the days are longer now and mostly above freezing). Will they be in deep torpor or dead? The small tortoiseshells roost higher above the ground and should be able to survive. In any case, they have mostly done their post-hibernation work.

This was our local walk on 18th April ...



... and this is the village tucking down for another freezing night last night:



These alpine choughs (yesterday) seemed to be holding a meeting to discuss the weather:



Meanwhile, overhead, two adult golden eagles were probably eyeing up weakened prey. Here is one of them:



I held onto Minnie!!

We need rain and sun to drive this snow away.

Guy

[selbypaul]

Hi Guy
I'd been reading about the unusual cold spell in central Europe currently, and your reports confirm this! How unusual is this extended period of snow in April, in your experience, given the number of April's you've spent in Switzerland?

Also, other than the Violet Fritillary's, what other species do you think are likely to be most negatively impacted by such cold conditions?

It's hard to believe I'll be in the Italian/French Alps in just 47 days time, and I'm nervous about how late a season 2024 is going to be!
Best Wishes
Paul

[Padfield]

Hi Paul. Winter always has a sting in its tail and it is completely normal for there to be snow in April. In fact, by school folk wisdom, 50% of summer terms begin under snow. What is different this year, though, is the intensity and duration. I first moved to Switzerland in 1989 and can't remember such a wintry April in all that time.

What effect will it have? The wisest answer is, "We'll see". But I can speculate. At high altitudes - say, above 1800m - it will make no difference. Those altitudes are always under snow at this time of year. At low altitudes - say, below 1000m - it will make little difference, as it has been largely rain down there and there are always extended wet periods in April or May. Those regions will catch up quickly when the sun shines. At medium altitudes, I think it will have set the season back perhaps two weeks. Even sunny slopes are still under snow at 1300m+ and have been covered since 17th April, when the first really heavy snow struck. Although temperatures have been -11°C at night, snow is an insulator and the ground holds heat, so I would expect the temperature near the earth, under the snow, to have been about 0°C throughout. I think, therefore, that caterpillars and even adult butterflies will have been able to survive, but that they will have done nothing. Can they feed at 0°C? I doubt it, though I have no data to support this!

If you will be here in mid-June, you obviously won't be going for the high-altitude butterflies, and as you're visiting the Alps, I imagine you're not coming for the low-altitude things: so I think you will find things behind their usual schedule.

I will be looking for aberrations when the snow finally clears! Pearl-bordered fritillaries, for example, should be pupating now. I can't imagine this persistent cold makes no difference to them.

I had been worried that the weight of snow in the trees would have stripped elm flowers, for example. But today, with bright sunshine (and afternoon temperatures of up to +4°C), I could verify that the flowers were intact and there was no evidence of fallen flowers on the ground:



The tits were out in force, though, and I imagine they will have found a few white-letter hairstreak cats!



That coal tit was working my best master elm! I don't begrudge him whatever food he can find - the birds have suffered.

Guy

[selbypaul]

Thanks for that comprehensive answer Guy, really interesting and helpful. Time will indeed tell!

[Padfield]

I had to go down to the valley yesterday morning, to do some two-way interpreting for a friend at a council meeting in a different commune. He dropped me back at Aigle Dépôt, right by the vineyards, where there was no snow and flowers were rejoicing in the sunshine. But no butterflies. It was very strange to be standing in a sunny hotspot in late April, among the flowers, and to see no butterflies. I did see a couple of orange tips from the train on the way back up to Leysin, but that was all. In the afternoon (by which time thick cloud had returned), I confirmed that the violet fritillary meadows above Leysin are still under snow:





Today, it seemed the end might be in sight. It was sunny in the morning, with a light Föhn, and it felt as if spring was in the air. On top of that, there was a festive feeling in Leysin, as the Tour de Romandie had its mountain leg today, ending up here by the télécabine:



Some hours before they were due to arrive, crowds were already building up, so for Minnie's safety I walked a little down the hill to see the riders hit the final kilometre or so. Here is the lonely leader at that point (who I'm sure went on to win). He has already cycled about 150 km and this is his third big climb. I'm an endurance athlete and I have absolutely no idea how these people do it - I think they're designed by NASA as part of the space race:



Here are some more piccies. It was actually a bit chilly by this time, but I doubt they felt the cold:




(the peloton)





No butterflies today!

Guy

[robpartridge]

Those are interesting thoughts about how altitude will affect the impact of unusual weather. I imagine that this will not apply in most of the UK! I'm in just about the flattest part of the country - my house is six feet above sea level. I can say that locally this has been a very poor spring for butterflies. Whole weeks have gone by with no sightings simply because there has been so little sunshine. Rainfall must have been above average - again - and often the winds have been northerly or with an easterly component. I think some species are pretty desperate - even ten minutes of sunshine will see odd Orange-tips and Green-veined Whites appear in the garden, despite low temperatures. Peacocks were common early on but I've counted only a handful of Small Tortoiseshells this year. Numbers of moths to the garden trap have also been exceptionally low.

It's rained all night and it's raining now!

[Padfield]

Hi Rob. I was born and bred in Suffolk, where altitude just isn't a thing (there is no English word for dénivellation ), but have lived most of my adult life in the Alps, where it is everything: the mountains define existence here. In fact, 'nostalgia' ('la nostalgie') was originally recognised as a peculiarly Swiss malaise, suffered by my countrymen when they served abroad and considered to be potentially fatal. I can understand this. When I recently lived in the UK to look after my father in his final years, I dreamt of Switzerland every night, without exception. For those four years, I was in the mountains walking, skiing and taking trains and buses from the moment my eyes closed to the moment I woke.

On Monday, we had our first warm and partially sunny day for a very long time! It was strange taking Minnie for a walk through the local meadows (the snow melted quickly with the Föhn and the general rise in temperatures) and seeing almost no butterflies, but a few leps did take to the wing. Most notably, the first green hairstreaks at this altitude (1300m) suddenly appeared. This female got away before I could take her portrait ...



... but this male, defending his corner against all-comers, was more amenable:





Both those pictures were taken with flash, as the sun was behind him.

That was the only decent day recently - it rained continuously today. This is not a propitious start to the season!

Guy

[robpartridge]

Lovely pictures of the Green Hairstreak - so far this year, all mine have been disappearing over hawthorn bushes.

It's interesting that one can feel nostalgia for a place that has become one's home as well as for the place one grew up. I knew the word's etymology but looked it up anyway and was surprised to discover one of its ancestors is used in Homer's Odyssey, with the sense of "true belonging". It's clear the Alps are where you truly belong.

[Padfield]

You're right, Rob, though I have a deep love of Suffolk, too. I will always return to relive memories.

Recently, the weather has been grim again and yesterday visibility was down to a few metres, with cloud clinging to the mountain:



The snowline had dropped too, to about 1500m, and it was very cold. Tomorrow's forecast is iffy too, so I took advantage of a break in the cloud today to visit the Val d'Hérens. The temperature never rose above 14°C but it stayed sunny while I was there and I enjoyed a few year ticks.

Blues are coming out to play. This is a green-underside blue:





Another first for the year was the tiny baton blue, of which I saw maybe half a dozen:



Finally, I located some Provençal short-tailed blues - which I normally see in April:



Here are a common blue, Chapman's blue and holly blue:







Three Pyrgus skippers were on the wing. Safflower skipper, Pyrgus carthami, is common throughout Valais:



Oberthür's grizzled skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus) is much more local:



Southern grizzled skippers (Pyrgus malvoides) are also common in Valais, being replaced by grizzled skippers near me in Vaud:



The first Glanville fritillaries had set up territories:



And to close, a few more piccies of old stagers for 2024:


(Wood white)


(Camberwell beauty)


(Camberwell beauty)


(Camberwell beauty habitat)


(orange tip)


(green-veined white)


(dingy skipper)

And of course - Queen of Spain:



Maybe spring is coming after all ...

Guy

[Wurzel]

Some delectable sightings and images there Guy Certainly does look like Spring is thinking about making an appearance

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That's pretty impressive for 'a break in the clouds', Guy. Hopefully things will improve for you very soon.

[Padfield]

Thanks, Wurzel and David. Breaks in the cloud have been few and far between - until today. I'll open a new post, so piccies can load better (my pages are so picture-heavy a lot of them don't load on first click).

Guy