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Scarce Swallowtail egg:

Three days ago I noticed a Scarce Swallowtail egg on the apricot tree in my garden.
Yesterday morning it had changed colour and looked like this: Then when I got home in the evening I found this: Heavily cropped view: Different heavily cropped view: Apricot tree with buddleias in background: The photos were taken with a Panasonic FZ150.
Cheers, Chris

well spotted !! the egg was very tiny .

i hope you can keep us updated with the progress of your caterpillar

Before we left home this morning in Marseilles for our holiday destination in the Massif Central, I checked on my Scarce Swallowtail caterpillar, on his apricot leaf. He is now 5 days old and is putting on a bit of weight - a good sign.
Chris

It's great to see your scarce swallowtail caterpillar growing up - especially as you knew him as an egg. Probably wise not to name him - it always ends in tears ...

Guy

Nice one Guy,
Have a good holiday Chris, let us know what you find and where, if the boss lets you escape

Russ

i hope you are taking your camera to the Massif Central chris !

Hi folks,
We are back home in Marseilles after our holidays (yes, already over). I rushed into the garden to see the Scarce Swallowtail caterpillar on the apricot tree, and here he is, 21 days old as of Sunday 20 July (10 mm long). Good news, there are other eggs on the same tree now. I will keep you informed. See posts here-above for earlier stages.
Chris

This is good news, Chris. Please keep us informed of their progress.

This entry will be amended shortly,
Chris

Hi folks, thanks for your comments.

Thursday 24th of July - sunny and at least 28°C

SPECIES No. 57: Woodland Grayling (fagi)

This species appears to exist in a very small colony half way up a 610-meter high mountain next to Marseilles (the Mont St Cyr).
I counted no more than 6 individuals very close together in a small area. Here are 2 context photos. I am standing on a path and this colony seems to extend over an area 5 meters further up the mountain and 5 meters further down the mountain: Last year and the year before, I saw this colony in August. This year I searched for the colony earlier (July) because I wanted photos of younger fresher individuals, however some of these look a bit tattered already.
Here are photos of some different individuals: Here are views of the adult food plant. The butterflies came back and nectared quite easily even when I was standing near the plants: Cheers, Chris

Chris, that's a Great Sooty Satyr (male).

I've just looked in T&L and you may be right David!!
When you say "that is a Great Sooty Satyr", there were in fact 5 or 6 different individuals which can be identified by the rips and tears in their wings.
I wonder what is going on ?
This site is where I thought I had discovered a colony of Rock Grayling for the last 2 years, only to be told by experts that they are in fact Woodland Grayling, and now it turns out to be a colony of Great Sooty Satyr ?
It is late, I must sleep on this one.
Chris

PS
Well spotted David.
According to the Atlas de P.A.C.A., Satyrus ferula should not be present in the Bouches du Rhone (nor even anywhere near the boundaries) !!
According to T&L "largely absent from Bouches du Rhone and Var"

I've seen Woodland Graylings a few times before and here's what they look like (they never open their wings when at rest):

David M wrote:I've seen Woodland Graylings a few times before and here's what they look like (they never open their wings when at rest):

3WoodlandGrayling(1).jpg

I agree with you there, David, but when I'm told that "markings vary greatly" and that "you can never tell", well then I guess I just have to accept the lastest suggestion.
Chris

Last thoughts on the subject above before going to bed:
perhaps it is a colony of Black Satyr (Satyrus actaea) ?
According to the Atlas de P.A.C.A., these do exist in the Bouches du Rhone.
The photo in Tristan Lafranchis' Papillons d'Europe, shows Black Satyr to me, David.
Well, that's a scoop
Chris

The guides suggest that the pale underside line in Black Satyr is very close to the wing edges, whereas your individuals have this line running almost through the middle.

That suggests Great Sooty Satyr to me, although it'll take someone like Guy to confirm this.

Well, they look good for black satyr to me! The upperside is right - except that I can't see the androconia, but I don't know how obvious these are in this species. The toothed outer edge of the pd band on the hindwing looks right too. For myself, I'd assume the androconia don't show because that individual is worn and go for black satyr.

Guy

Padfield wrote:Well, they look good for black satyr to me! The upperside is right - except that I can't see the androconia, but I don't know how obvious these are in this species. The toothed outer edge of the pd band on the hindwing looks right too. For myself, I'd assume the androconia don't show because that individual is worn and go for black satyr.

Guy

Thanks for the confirmation Guy, and thanks again David for drawing my attention to that

So my entry above is corrected to :

Thursday 24th of July - sunny and at least 28°C

SPECIES No. 57: Black Satyr (Satyrus actaea)

A new species for me this year !

Chris

The forewing ocelli (upper and under) are the definitive clue - actaea has one, ferula two. So yours is definitively actaea.

Some blurb you might find useful re the discal line on my actaea page here:
http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/html ... actaea.htm

Ferula does occur in Var in a few spots in the north.

Roger (currently in Dijon)

Thank you Roger for the info on your actaea page, very interesting reading.
I will return to the site and try and get some better upperside shots (while still looking out for Woodland Grayling).
Cheers, Chris

Illuminating stuff. I will pay far more attention to these two species next time I'm in France.