My records are UK only (via Butterfly Conservation); does anyone know of an equivalent fro France, eg a central recording scheme?

Chris

Very many thanks. This is another shot (next in sequence) with some underside.

This would be well outside the normal range of alcetas??

Chris

Guy, how about this one which I didn't put in above? Flying in a forest, close to a river (Indre).

Chris

Many thanks Guy; the "skipper rule" is new to me, and very helpful. I didn't spot it as a Sooty Copper as all the ones I've seen (Normandy/Mayenne) have been half the size and quite strongly tinted underneath, rather than grey.
Chris

I've just spent a few weeks in Central France (Indre) - quite a few butterflies around, despite mixed weather, with about 35 species spotted in the "garden" of the house (orchard, bordering on a meadow and woodland). All the usual suspects, both swallowtails, plus a few I'm not sure about....

Small White spotted by my neighbour in his garden (South Oxon) Sunday 26th Feb; all I've spotted so far has been a couple of Satellite moths and a billion ladybirds!

Chris

La Brenne is certainly a superb area, with some very nice towns indeed nearby, such as Loches. We have been there many times now and have certainly seen a few Alcon Blues, although my most unusual sighting was a Poplar Admiral in the center of Loches, by the railway station. There was a garden centr...

To answer my own question, species spotted were the following:- Clouded Yellow (large numbers including a few helice) Wall Red Ad/ Peacock/Small Tort/Comma Speckled Wood/Small Heath Common Blue/Holly B Adonis B/Chapmans B Small Copper Weavers (Violet) Frit Brown Argus Safflower Skipper (not 100% sur...

How about chemical lures for butterflies, after all, they're common enough for moths (beer/wine/molasses etc), but apart from decayed fruit and dog poo, are there any chemical attractants?

Chris

I have a similar attachment made from a Nikon ES-1 and an extension tube which fits on the front of my 60mm macro lens - it gives better results than my Minolta Dimage scanner and , unlike that, doesn't become inoperable when the Windows version changes! Another good feature is that you can use the ...

I am off for a few weeks in mid-September to an area in Central france near to Loches and the brenne National Park.

Any hints on specific places to visit eg floral chateau gardens, and species I might expect to find that late in the year?

Chris