Hi Chris,

I heard on the French radio yesterday that the weather was going to be kinder and that the summer would be back for the next days ! I hope you can take the most of it.... nothing worse than being on holiday and have to endure rain....
Sylvie

Hi Roger and Fiishie, If you have a closer look (with a magnifier) at the little flowers of the Christ's thorn, you will understand why the butterflies are attracted to it. The flowers are full of juicy nectar and as there are a lot of flowers, the nectar source is plentiful. Another tree that is a ...

You are right Roger, Christ’s Thorn (Paliurus spina-christi) is highly attractive as a nectar source. When I was in North Western Greece a few years ago, this tree was a magnet for Nettle Tree butterflies. On one tree, I remember counting a total of 47 of this species and all very active in the heat...

I was in the Algarve 2 weeks ago and observed a large number of Spanish Purple hairstreaks (they definitively were Laeosopis Roboris) on Quercus Ilex. The butterflies were very active and seemed to fight for the best spot on the top of the trees. I thought that the males were competing for the best ...

You are right Wurzel, this is a drone fly 'Eristalis Pertinax' which is quite common. I caught one in my garden a couple of weeks ago to identify (it was safely returned after to the same flower as the one it was caught on). Philzoid, if you are interested in hoverflies then I would recommend that y...

I am sorry if this is not related to butterflies but there is a new clay pigeon shooting ground at Whiteford in Gower very close to the National Trust Nature Reserve and about 200 meters away from the lapwings enclosure (OS coordinates SS435941). No doubt that this will create great disturbance not ...

Hi Nick, I forgot to mention in my earlier post, that I had written a short report on Cyprus after a holiday in early April on the island. http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1788 If you decide to go there you will need to stay near the coast for butterflies. A trip to the ...

Hi Willem,

I would consider Cyprus or South West Turkey, in early April and at low altitude butterflies will be on the wing and sunshine is more or less guaranteed too.
Sylvie

I've just picked up this thread and maybe a bit late but for future reference, I can only recommend thay you send your lens to the UK Sigma repair centre. I sent my telephoto lens for repair in April this year and they gave me a superb service: 1 week in all. They do not overcharge either, you can r...

Sorry I made a mistake, it should be agapanthia villoviridescens (not cardui).
Sylvie

Hi Michael,

Great pictures and great report. I enjoyed reading this thread, it looks like you've had a great time and good weather too!!
For your record, the longhorn beetle is agapanthia cardui.
Sylvie

Hi Kev, If you go there in early August, then you will have to go higher up to find butterflies. I suggest you plan a trip to the Mercantour as you said and a good base is the village of Guillaumes or Peone (near Guillaumes). There is a very good camping site (with excellent pizzas) in Guillaumes (c...

I was in Barcelona in October last year for business. I had a few hours free and found a good area near the Exhibition and international Conference Center on the beach front where the pier starts and near the car park. There were still a lot of flowers around (mainly of the mustard sort) which attra...

Thank you Mike and Gruditch for all your advice and website links. This will help me to make a decision.
Sylvie

Thank you very much Gruditch for the information on the Sigma TCs' compatibility with Canon L lenses. This is good news as I now can look at buying a Canon lense without having to buy the Canon TC to go with it. Just another question: if I fit a Canon 25mm extension tube with the 300mm f/4, what wou...

Thank you very much for your replies which have been useful. Does anybody know whether I can fit the Sigma teleconverters with the canon 300mm f/4 or the Canon 100-400mm? I have been looking through the internet but some people say 'no' and others 'yes'. I know that the Canon T/C only work with the ...

Thank you both for your reply. It has been useful. Roger, I have tested the Canon 100-400mm and it is an excellent lense. The only thing I am not sure I can get used to is the 'push and pull pump'. I have small hands and find it difficult to move (or is it just something I need to get used to?). Int...

Hi, I am looking to buy a new lense by the end of the year. I have a Sigma 300mm f/4 at the moment but it is getting old and there is mould growing inside the lens and on the optic. It does not affect the quality of the picture yet. I've had it for 15 years and I feel that it is not going to last fo...

Hi Eric, Kaiserstuhl is a very good area for wildlife, it is situated about 15km Northwest of Freiburg in the upper Rhine plain. It is the warmest place in Germany and has a mediterranean climate in some places. The highest peak is at 550m and you should see plenty of wildlife at the end of April. I...

John has made a very good response and I totally agree with him. Zoos do not work towards conservation. I was extremely appalled by some of the animals’ behaviour in zoos: a polar bear going round and round and moving his head from left to right continuously, a black mamba trying to bite at people t...