Greenwings: False Apollo tour, NE Greece, 4th - 11th April 2022

[David M]

Nymphalidae - Aristocrats & Fritillaries

Only the one Fritillary and that, unsurprisingly, was Queen of Spain, which was fairly common:

Being early in spring though meant that the Aristocrats were well represented. Several Camberwell Beauties seen, with this one giving us a show on a damp track:

I probably saw around two dozen Large Tortoiseshells, although photo opportunities were rather limited:

Quite a few Nettle Tree Butterflies were on the wing, but generally the only views you got of them were from below:

42. Queen of Spain Fritillary
43. Nettle Tree Butterfly
44. Red Admiral
45. Painted Lady
46. Peacock
47. Small Tortoiseshell
48. Comma
49. Camberwell Beauty
50. Large Tortoiseshell

[John Vergo]

Hi David
A great report from a great tour

[David M]

You earned that shot, John. That species was tricky all week.

[John Vergo]

yes it was good to see it on the ground and not high up in the trees

[David M]

yes it was good to see it on the ground and not high up in the trees

I don't think I saw one on the ground all week. Perseverance paid off for you, John.

[David M]

So, in summary, 50 species of butterfly (of which I saw 49 - I missed out on the Mazarine) was a more than respectable return at this time of year.

We were lucky with the weather most days; only one day (the first) was poor, and on a couple it reached 23c with clear, sunny skies, which seemed a little strange with the leaves on the trees no more than bursting buds.

There was plenty of other wildlife to be seen: birds, flowers, reptiles and mammals, with two wolves being sighted (not by me, unfortunately).

We had to stop on one occasion to lift this tortoise off a main road:

This fox was also interesting due to its colour:

Greece is also pretty cheap compared to the UK, and most people seem to understand simple English so it's no hardship to get by without speaking the local language (which is a difficult one).

I'm looking forward to returning to NE Greece in June to see what's about at the start of summer.

[selbypaul]

I'm looking forward to returning to NE Greece in June to see what's about at the start of summer.

You'll love it David. So many more new species for you!

[David M]

Yep. Totally agree, Paul. A new destination is always going to generate interesting stuff and I can't wait to get there.

[essexbuzzard]

Sounds like a great week was had by all. What a great way to get the season started! Thanks for sharing.

[David M]

Thanks, Mark. Was certainly a pleasant surprise to see so many different species.