Thank you both for your comments. I find these mini discussions on the forum really useful. It was the only “ silver studded “ type butterfly I saw last week. It is not just the UK where the season is delayed. Hopefully the Alps will have a prolonged season this year.

DSC00195.jpeg I suspect there will be more intermediate photos out there for discussion on this and here is another. The complete row of forewing orange marks indicate Reverdin’s but I indentified it as Idas based on other features. It is from the Italian alps in Piedmont. I did not get an upper wi...

Thanks Pete and thanks Paul Selby for a previous discussion on this. Despite the low density of species here it was great spending time watching S . Ferula and M . Larissa at close range. Also , thoroughly enjoyed the wedding as G . Pumilio was on the wing at the venue .

Having spent a week on Mount Chelmos it was time to attend a wedding on the Athens peninsula. Not the greatest butterfly location but , nonetheless, each morning I set off up the mountains behind our accommodation. They ranged in altitude between 750 - 1000 mtrs asl. The flora was not particularly s...

Brilliant read Pete. Coincidentally, I am off to the Pelopponese on Sunday and the elusive Inky Skipper will be one I hope to see. Not sure how early or late this season is in Greece so your report helps greatly

A beautiful day in London with plenty of insects on the wing including this Comma

Perhaps Greenish black tip will throw the geneticists into panic. Is charlonia present on the north coast of Morocco? If it is, then a 10 mile flight over the Straits of Gibraltar shouldn't be insurmountable. It was the most common species for me in December. If I lived in Tarifa area I would be on...

True enough David. I am constantly on the lookout for new North African invaders. It can only be a matter of time before another African species settles in Southern Spain. Perhaps Greenish black tip will throw the geneticists into panic.

DSC08181.jpeg Being fortunate enough to spend much of December / January in Malaga each year , I am used to seeing 10-15 species regularly on my transect. Not much surprises me anymore and species seem to emerge earlier as each year passes. However, I had never seen a skipper of any description at ...

IMG_6438.jpeg Some lovely choices so far. More of a favourite butterfly highlight than a great photo but I’m going to add Hewitson’s ringlet from a summer trip to the Kackar in NE Turkey. I’ve seen this species in previous years but this fresh female was so beautiful and under fairly gloomy conditi...

Spanish Argus for me in a beautiful location , on a perfect warm morning, and on its food plant. A delightful , rare , and delicate species

This butterfly pleased me . It was my 54th species for my local Malaga barranca and a little unexpected having not encountered it in any of the previous 10 years. It is a spectacular race of Marsh Fritillary and hard to believe that it’s the same species.

Just this fresh beauty in Malaga in May for me.

I had to post this just for contrast Pete. A cracking Southern Brown Argus from Spain earlier this year.

Out of interest , does anyone on here use the Sony RX10 IV for butterfly images. I do and with pretty good results but , i don't consider myself to be an expert photographer. I find my best results come from full 600mm lens which is recommended for macro photography. This also means that you do not ...

You have made me revisit my photos from the summer. I found Sooty Copper with pale markings on forewing and Iberian Sooty Copper on hind wing . More common than I thought

So, in brief, this was a very successful tour with the second highest species total recorded. 2018: 94 2019: 102 2020: 92 2021: 93 2022: 81 2023: 98 The only real disappointment was missing out (again) on Southern Hermit, whose numbers have seemingly dropped off a cliff these last 3 years. There ar...

I hope it’s been the same throughout the UK because it’s been a productive season for Holly Blue in my London garden

Guy/David . I photographed this presumed Rock Grayling at the same time as David on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees .
Since arriving home I have had doubts also and considered Woodland Grayling. It just about shows the eyebrow you mention , a feature I had not been aware of

Great read David and sums up my experience there . A pleasure to meet both you and Roger onsite. Staying on for the additional days meant that I just managed to catch up with recently emerged manto and rondoui.