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Yesterday we have shortly stayed on the Meadows in Kudlovická dolina under ranch Manďák Kostelany. This and this parts were mowed excluding place inaccesible on account of prone and wet terrain - I have snapped most of butterflies just here.

This part was unmowed.

In the the prony a and wet part of the first meadow I have snapped:
- Scarce Large Blues (Maculinea teleius), some females putting eggs.
- High Brown Fritillaries
- Silver-washed Fritillary
- Six-spotted Burnet - Zygaena filipendulae
- we saw Common butterfles like Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Peacocks, Marbled Whites, Large Skippers, Brimstones.
We saw also Great Banded Graylings but I haven't succeed in snapping.

On the abandoned football pool I have snapped:
- Dark Green Fritillary
- Ringlet
- Holly Bue

Then we visited Čertoryje reserve in the White Carpatians. It is area with the higher diversity of butterflies in the Czech Republic (116 species of butterflies and skippers). I have snapped all three European species of Brenthis:
- Marbled Fritillary - Brenthis daphne
- Lesser Marbled Fritillary - Brenthis ino
and Twin-spot Fritillary - Brenthis hecate.

These Fritillaries may be both Nickerl's and Assmann's: In this locality are both species confirmed. In SE Moravia live dark forms of Nickerl's and it is very difficult to differ them from Assmann's.

I have snapped Scarce Coppers - Lycaena virgaureae again.

I saw also Large Chequered Skippers, Dark Green Fritillaries, High Brown Fritillaries and Great Banded Graylings but not succeed in snapping. There vere enormous account of specimens.

Burnets were represented mainly by Zygaena lonicerae but I saw a Burnet which I hadn't saw before. But it was shy and flied away when I tried to approximate the camera to it.

Here is the whole album.

Last evening I snapped a Large Skipper in our garden. Then had a outing to our neighbour's meadow and I have snapped:
- Silver-studded Blues
- lots of burnets Zygaena carniolica, often matting or gathered into the banches on some plats (here the Deptford Pink past blossom)
- Slender Scotch Burnet - Zygaena loti
- Six-spot Burnets,some of them matting and one of them with fuzzy spots (maybe that the same form of some species the burnet found at Čertoryje Reserve was counted as "Zygaena punctum" by me.
- Berger's Clouded Yellow (most probably)
- Common Blues
- Heath Fritillaries
- Marbled Whites

Yesterday I have visited this footpath through the bushy bank and I have snapped there:
- Eastern short-tailed Blues - Everes decoloratus here is a female putting eggs to the Black Medick flower heads and here is a male.
- Silver-studded Blues
- Small Skipper

The bush was surrounded by the nets of Wasp Spiders - Argiope bruennichi (about 10 nets side by side) approx. on this place.
On the meadow I saw above all the Browns Arguses and SSBs (and some Heath and Nickerl's Fritillaries).

In the road margin between the crossroads and the stream I saw a larger Blue flitting and resting on the Meadow Geranium plants so I first thought that it is a Geranium Argus - but it was a Scarce Large Blue - Maculinea teleius.

Then I went to these meadows and I have snapped:
- Peacock
- Painted Lady
- Scarce Swallowtail
- Dingy Skipper
- Comma
- burnet Zygaena carniolica
- Nickerl's Fritillaries (here together with the Six-spot Burnet, but only bad photos)
- Weaver's Fritillary - Clossiana dia
- Scarce Large Blues - Maculinea teleius

In case of this individual I can't determine if it is Heath or Nickerl's Frit. - palpi are hirsute and rusty-brown and the animal is tiny but the marginal field of hindwings underside have the same shade like the arrounding ones and also the upperside of hindwings points to the Heath Fritillary, I thing.
- Map Butterfly - Arashnia levana

Here is the whole album, here is a video of the Scarce Swallowtail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o5OyKD4P-Y[/video]

and here is a video of a Scarce Large Blue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFt6oXu4lY8[/video]

Yesterday I have a trip to butterflies at he top end of Jankovice.
I have snapped:
On this place:
- Weaver's Fritillary - Clossiana (Boloria) dia
- Nickerl's Fritillaries
- Dingy Skippers
- Scarce Swallowtails (I saw 6 or 7 individuals this day)
On this place:
- The Forester and
- Green Hairstreak female putting egs to the Wild Parship flower eyes
On this place :
- this frit is most probably Heath ...
- Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) but one was too flidgety so I have taken only bad photo.
- Large Skippers
- Common Blue males and a female
- Scarce Swallowtails again
- Dusky Large Blues - Maculinea nausithous
- Scarce Large Blues - Maculinea teleius
On this place of the pasture :
- Zygaena carniolica
- Berger's (most probably) Clouded Yellow
On this place :
- a pair of the Reverdin's or Idas Blues - Plebejus argyrognomon/idas - matting - first disturbed by a burnet Zygaena carniolica so they moved to another plant where was more calm and privacy. Another Reverdin's/Idas Blue male was taken a piece below.
- Sooty Copper male (I noted two ones there)
- some micro moth (Ypomoneuta sp. ? Ethmia sp. ?)
- Heath Fritillary

Then I found a new site of butterflies. I have found there:
- High Brown Fritillary
- Dark Green Fritillary
- Silver-washed Fritillary
- Scarce Swallowtail
- Dusky Large Blues - Maculinea nausithous (lots of)
- Scarce Large Blues - Maculinea teleius
and a worn Geranium Argus - Eumedonia eumedon.

There are lots of Six-spots Burnets (Zygaena filipendulae) everywhere and many fresh SSBs - evidently the 2nd breed.

Here the whole album and below is a video of the Idas Blues matting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q28c3EbvYfA[/video]

I have post the photo of the matting pair to the Biolib.cz as the Reverdin's Blue but an expert of Biolib has re-determined it as Idas Blue with the remark: "Perhaps it is Plebejus idas, which flies obviously from June to August, this year perhaps later - from July. Plebejus argyrognomon has had the first breed late on June this year (caused by the cold spring) and the second one would be on August."

Last evening my wife and me have had a outing and we saw:
- lots of SSBs
- lots of Six-spotted Burnets
- burnets Zygaena carniolica
- and I have taken my first this-year Silver-spotted Skipper - Hesperia comma

Yesterday I have done a "small field work" focused to the P. argyrognomon/idas near Jankovice.
By the way to the site on this place I have taken a Speckled Wood.
At the site I have snapped:
- more P. argyrognomon/idas males (upper side of one) and females (upper side of one)
- Silver-studded Blues
- Sooty Copper male and female upperside and underside
- Small Copper upperside and underside
- Silver-washed Fritillary
- Scarce Swallowtail nectaring and (probably) ovipositing.

Here is the whole album.

traplican wrote:Yesterday I have done a "small field work" focused to the P. argyrognomon/idas near Jankovice.
By the way to the site on this place I have taken a Speckled Wood.
At the site I have snapped:
- more P. argyrognomon/idas males (upper side of one) and females (upper side of one)
- Silver-studded Blues
- Sooty Copper male and female upperside and lowerside
- Small Copper upperside and lowerside
- Silver-washed Fritillary
- Scarce Swallowtail nectaring and (probably) putting eggs.

Here is the whole album.

Scarce Swallowtail:~

Excellent picture of a female I.podalirius ovipositing ( "putting eggs" .. egg laying )... looks like on some kind of Fruit tree ( Plum ~ Prunus species ? ) I have seen this butterfly laying on ornamental Cherry trees ( Prunus ) in southern europe,

Thank you.

I think it is plum, Prunus sp. is maybe the most attractive foodplant for Scarce Swallowtails. But on the picture below is probably a female laying eggs to the Dog Rose leaves (taken on July 11th 2008):
[/url]

On Saturday 31st July I have visited these meadows near Traplice. I have taken there:
- Red Admiral
- Queen of Spain Fritillaries - upper and under side
- Dark Green Fritillary (under side)
- Nickerl's Fritillary
- Weaver's Fritillary
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
- Dusky Large Blues - Maculinea nausithous
- burnet Zygaena carniolica
- Large Skippers
- Jersey Tiger
- Comma

When I had returned home I visited school park (I don't know why now, probably because there were lots of SSBs there and I had wanted to look if there are some Reverdins among them) and noted a grizzled skipper without marginal white spots array. I have taken its wings upper and under side and at home determined that it is critically endangered Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper - Pyrgus armoricanus! The photos ave answered and the determination has been confirmed by Jiří Beneš ( Institute of Entomology of the Czech Academy of Sciences) and Guy Padfield.
Here is a video of the Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acaxm0i_aoY[/video]

... and here is the whole album.

On Sunday August 1st I have snapped:
- Queen of Spain Fritillary in our garden
- Large Copper female near the school garden fence; I haven't suceeded in snapping better focused photos because she flied me away through the fence to the school garden.

On our neibour's meadow:
- Zygaena carniolica
- Sooty Copper male
- The Forester
- Common Blue
- Peacock
- Reverdin's or Idas Blue

My daughter is glad to negotiate stairs so in the afternoon we had a family trip to the vantage point on the Brdo hill. During the trip I saw only common butterflies and snapped a Red Admiral.

Re hostplants for scarce swallowtails. In the Rhône Valley they take a variety of Prunus. I've seen them laying on P. mahaleb in the spring and today watched a female as she carefully deposited eggs all over the P. spinosa where I was looking for brown hairstreaks:



Guy

On August 3rd I have snapped a White-point Moth - Mythimna albipuncta in our garden.

On August 4th I have snapped:
- Four-spotted Moth - Tyta luctuosa on the meadows behind the school
- a beetle Larinus sturnus here
- a burnet Zygaena carniolica here
- Dusky Large Blues - Maculinea nausithous here
- Short-tailed Blue and (probably) Reverdin's Blue here
- Six-spot Burnets matting (there are lots of ones everywhere)
- a burnet Zygaena angelicae by the school garden fence (photo).

Two species of five spotted burnets occur near me which are similar each other: Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet - Zygaena lonicerae and Zygaena angelicae. The only way how to determine them for certain is to take the burnet to the hand (best by the antennae) and look at the forewing underside. Zygaena angelicae has a lengthwise red bar there while Z. lonicerae not. Furthermore Z. angelicae has wide dark margins of hindwing uppersides and yellow peaks of antennae (but simetimes it is very difficult to distinguish it).

On August 5th I have snapped an Eastern Short-tailed Blue - Everes decoloratus female ovipositing to the Black Medick flower heads in our garden.

Then I have snapped a beetle Larinus sturnus here and a Dingy Skipper and Dusky Large Blues here.

On the bad photo of the worn butterfly sitting high in the crown of the Plum is Lesser Purple Emperor - Apatura ilia.

On August 8th I have snapped:
- one worn Nickerl's Frit + 3 x Six-spot Burnet in the Traplice school park

On our neighbour's meadow:
- Clouded Buff female
- Six-spot Burnet
- Silver-spotted Skippers
- Sooty Coppers
- Reverdin's or Idas Blues: fresh female, worn female and fresh males
- one Dusky Large Blue
- worn Chalkhill Blue
- worn and fresh burnets Zygaena carniolica matting
- Short-tailed Blues
- Common Blue
Here is the whole album.

On August 12th I have snapped:
- a Short-tailed Blue male in our garden
On our neighbour's meadow:
- Reverdin's or Idas Blue male and female
- Silver-studded Blue female
- Map Buterfly
- Small Heath

Here more Dusky Large Blues.

Here :
- Large Copper male
- Sooty Copper
- Queen of Spain Fritillary
- Dusky Large Blue

On the vineyard fence and then on the cartway a Small Tortoiseshell

- a Large Copper female on the Meadow Inula anthodium by the school garden fence.

Here the whole album.

On August 13th I have searched sites of Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper near Jankovice and found a in surroundings of border between the pasture and the open orchard on this place. I have snapped more Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper but only bad photos of underside (and better ones of upperside).

On another places of the pasture I have snapped:
- Large Copper female
- Weaver's Fritillary
- Six-spotted Burnets matting,

- here a Sooty Copper
- and here The Four-spotted Moth - Tyta luctuosa.

Here is the whole album.

On August 14th
i have snapped a Short-tailed Blue female ovipositing to the Black Medick flower heads at the car park by the Traplice school.

Then I have visited the same place near Jankovice where I found Pyrgus carthami before. I have searched Pyrgus armoricanus again and taken ones but only uppersides because they always turn the upperside against the sun and never showed the wings underside.
Futhermore I have snapped:
- Adonis Blues
- Purple-edged Coppers
- Sooty Copper
- Chestnut Heaths - Coenonympha glycerion
- High Brown Fritillary
- Dark Green Fritillary

Here I have taken the Small Tortoiseshell.

Today I have snapped in our garden:
- Small Blue female
- Short-tailed Blue male

Well, I shall complete my diary now.

- On August 20th I have sanapped a Map Butterfly in my garden.

- On August 22th my wife, my daughter and me have taken a part in the "garden party" at the house after my grandparents in Central Moravia. I have snapped these butterflies:
- Small Copper
- Clouded Yellow
- Wall Brown.

On August 25th I have snapped a Weaver's Fritillary - Boloria dia on our neighbour's meadow.

On August 26th I have visited these meadows and snapped there:
- Chestnut Heath male and female
- worn Great Banded Grayling - Brintesia circe
- Weaver's Fritillary - Boloria dia
- Short-tailed Blue
- Silver-spotted Skipper - Hesperia comma
- Swallowtail - Papilio machaon
- moth Oncocera semirubella.

I saw a Brown Hairstreak in my garden but ha hadn't my camera by . I also many times saw a Short-tailed Blue male.

Water voles gnawed holes into a pumpkin in my garden and another pumpkin (giant) partially eroded . I have clutch one of them to the trap.

I found and taken to photos two grovesnails Capaea vindobonensis in my garden at once. In my garden live 4 species of Helicinae:
- White-lipped Grove Snail - Cepaea hortensis - probably thousands of specimens
- Brown Lipped Snail - Cepaea nemoralis - several specimens
- Capaea vindobonensis - several specimens
- Roman Snail - Helix pomatia - about 100 specimen.

Today I have found and taken to photos an Agile Frog - Rana dalmatina in our garden:
photo1
photo2
photo3
photo4
photo5

I have removed the photo with the hind leg flexing because an expert of Biolib has notified me that this determination test is unrecommended (needless and dangerous for the animal) now. So I don't want to give bad inducement for others.

Yesterday I have taken in my garden:
- four fluffs with gregaric caterpillars inside: photo1, photo2, photo3 and photo4
- worn Map Butterfly

On our neighbour's meadow:
- Swallowtail - Papilio machaon
Here:
- Red Admiral
- Meadow Brown
- Peacock
- Berger's or Pale Clouded Yellow
- Painted Lady
- Brown Argus
- worn Adonis Blue

On Sept 17th I have taken two Herald Moths - Scoliopteryx libatrix in the cellar of our house.

On Sept 19th I have snapped two Humming-bird Hawk-moths - Macroglossum stellatarum in our garden. They basked on our neighbour's breast wall.

On Sept 207h I have snapped a Peacock in our garden and these butterflies in surroundings of our neighbour's meadow:
- Berger's Clouded Yellow - Colias alfacariensis
- Small Heath - Coenonympha pamphilus

Today I have visited my favourite orchards and pastures at Jankovice and snapped:
- Common Blues
- Small Copper
- a Reverdin's Blue - Plebejus argyrognomon female
- Chestnut Heaths - Coenonympha glycerion - there were lots of
- Pale Clouded Yellows - Colias hyale - there were lots of
- Praying mantis female
- Sooty Copper - Lycaena tityrus females
- Adonis Blue male and females - there were lots of.

Furthermore I have snapped a Berger's Clouded Yellow - Colias alfacariensis on this place.

Here is the whole album.

I just have snapped a Queen of Spain Fritillary in our garden:
All photos are here.

Sunny and relatively warm but windy day and maybe the last this-year butterflies were taken by me near Jankovice:
- Small Coppers
- Berger's Clouded Yellows - Colias alfacariensis
- Pale Clouded Yellow - Colias hyale
- worn Adonis Blue
- Short-tailed Blue females
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Boloria selene
- Weaver' Fritillary - Boloria dia
- Small Heath - Coenonympha pamphilus
- Peacock

Here is the whole album.

I also saw Red Admirals but not succeeded in snapping them.

I have noted and taken similar fluffs on the pastures like ones in my garden.


Maybe I shall have to redetermine some photos of C. alfacariensis to C. hyale..