Hi Nick, I'm sorry, I didn't reply to you from Tuesday but I was overtaken by things. Let's hope your sightings in Scotland start picking up soon. The Southern White Admiral is a real cracker when it is fresh like this one, with the metallic blue sheen. I was pleased to get this shot because of the ...

26th April - South of France The olive grove behind my workplace is coming back to life. This place saw nearly 40 species of butterfly over the year and they are slowly drifting back. It burnt down 2 years ago and this week it has seen the return of Glanville Fritillary and Spotted Fritillary. Today...

Thanks Guy, Looking through my archives, I have found these 2 photos of the same cat. This cat has a yellow dorsal stripe and may well be A. euphenoides : euphenoides - larva1 on Biscutella laevigata 25 May 2013 (4).JPG Side view of the same cat: euphenoides - larva1 on Biscutella laevigata 25 May 2...

For those who don't know, in the South of France, Biscutella laevigata is host plant for E. crameri and A. euphenoides and their cats can coincide and overlap.
Chris

Thanks Guy,
A. euphenoides down here is a possibilty.

In the book by T. Lafranchis there are some very nice photos of the cats of both species, but my eye is not sufficiently tuned to differentiate between the 2.
Chris

David M wrote: .. These are the kind of challenges I like, Roger. Being in France is always a pleasure, and even more so when you've a new butterfly species to pursue...

Don't worry David, you have the right friends in the right places which can lead to the right sightings.
Chris

Hi Folks,
I need an ID for this cat.
Seen today in the South of France on the plant Buckler's Mustard (Biscutella laevigata).
ID ? Thanks.
Chris

24th April - South of France A trip over to my Southern Festoon site during the lunch break allowed me to get one further step into their life cycle. Today, 4 caterpillars on Artistoloche rotunda : polyxena17 caterpillars 24Apr18 (1a).JPG Their empty coriums: polyxena17 empty chorions Rognac 24Apr18...

Hi Folks, Here is bit of a catch up from last week-end. With a sudden rise in temperature, a few more species have appeared. These were seen in the extreme west of the département of the Var. Brown Hairstreak caterpillar on Prunus spinosa . This is from the eggs that we found last winter, and is par...

Hi Roger, I would agree that most of the species I am seeing up to now are between 10 days and two weeks late compared with last year. Hi Pete, If you want to see E. epistygne , I think that timing may be an important factor, and possibly be prepared to do a bit of hill walking :D Hi Chris, My recen...

South of France, 19th April Today we went up our local hill where there have been historical reports of Spring Ringlet. This hill is mostly in the département of the Var but sits partially in the Bouches du Rhone (BdR). We saw 13 individuals, and they were all, to within a few tens of meters, admini...

... I note that polyxena favours grassier areas. Do you ever see these species flying together at all? Hi David, I have no fixed ideas on habitat for the two Zerynthia sp. , I am still near the bottom of the learning curve. I have read that they can fly together, but not on any sites in my area. Th...

South of France 17th April The latest sighting this lunchtime when I visited the Southern Festoon site was a male Common Blue icarus55 male Marais Tête Noire 17Apr18.JPG The Southern Festoon is still flying and these Southern Festoon eggs are now 7 days old polyxena eggs Marais Tête Noire 17Apr18.JP...

Thanks David and Pete for your kind words, I hope your season will get a boost very soon. Hi Roger, Temperatures should be picking up from today, and the sun should be out tomorrow, so there is hope for you. The season is gaining pace now. Taking into account the lateness in the appearance of the So...

Saturday 14th April 2018 - Moving forward.... ... I was delighted to encounter 6 Peacocks, 5 Commas and 2 male Brimstones ... You do realise, David, that where I live in the "magnificent" south of France (Bouches du Rhone), these 3 species are quite rare ?. Consider yourself lucky. :D Chris

... "What's next on the agenda for you?" This is next on the agenda for me David: Nothing special here - C. rubi has now been around for 4 weeks in my local Parc des Bruyères in Marseilles: rubi Parc Bruyères 15Apr18.JPG This isn't bad - A. euphenoides couple seen today. I saw 1 male on 3...

Hi Pete, I choose bridge cameras because I'm not an out and out photographer, and bridges give me adequate results for what I do. I am definitely a fan of swivel viewing screens for ground level or arms-in-the-air overhead shots. My FZ150 takes care of depth of field all by itself with the "P&q...

Rognac, in the Bouches du Rhône, south of France Here is another laying sequence from April 11. We can see that the female can choose to lay her eggs on a variety of stages of growth of Aristoloche rotunda. In this case the plant is barely visible to a standing human. Southern Festoon laying: polyxe...

Great shots, Chris, and the fact that the larva has already emerged makes me even more convinced that it is crameri . Thanks David. 11 April Recently I've been getting lucky photo-wise. Rather like shooting the proverbial rabbits in a barrel (oops for rabbit lovers :oops: ). Yesterday lunchtime I v...

Well done with your polyxena , Chris. A lovely butterfly. Interesting to note that your season is 10 days or so behind. That should make my forthcoming trip to the Pyrenees quite interesting if things don't catch up! David, The 10-day lag is confirmed down my way with T. ballus and Z. polyxena . He...