I have finally managed to identify my butterflies pictures taken in Hte-Savoie during May (2nd week) last year. Time is really flying!! The theme 'still an exceptionally early year' is surely not relevant anymore considering the type of weather we have here in the UK, even colder weather in Continen...

Hi Danny,

Unfortunately I can't recommend any good seaside resorts in Northern Turkey. I am planning a trip over there in the next 2-3 years and would like to stay somewhere between Rize and Erzurum (Kackar mountains) for butterflies, flora and birds so I have not looked into seaside resorts.
Sylvie

Thank you Roger for sharing your pictures with us. It does brigthen things up a little bit for me especially looking at the poor weather we have here in Wales. I can't think enough of my next holidays in 2009 and I am looking forward to go abroad again and especially France. During the winter months...

Hi Danny, Croatia for the month of May is good for butterflies but it is quite an expensive destination to go to. You may consider Slovenia (Portoroz has sandy beaches) which is cheaper (Easyjet have flights to Llubljana). I went to Slovenia a couple of years ago and was based near a village called ...

Hi Denise, Hungary should be excellent for butterflies. I was in Slovakia end June/ early July for 10 days. I was based in the South East of the Tatras Mountains (butterflies species are very similar to those of the Alps) and spent a couple of days in the south of the country not far from the Hungar...

Hi Denise, I've never done any group traveling with Naturetrek or any other nature tours companies. However, I had contacted Naturetrek a few years ago as my boyfriend and I were interested in going to Malaysia but did not want to go along with a group of people. Naturetrek can arrange trip for you ...

Hi Mark, It is hard to identify reptiles and more specifically lizards from pictures especially when you are not the photographer and have not seen them with your own eyes (length/behaviour/habitat etc) but I can recognize the following from Cyprus: - Lizard 2,5,9,10 : agama Stellio (biggest lizard ...

Hi Danny, Look on the bright side: you had heat and sun whereas here in the UK, we had rain (well in Wales especially)every single day of August!! Did you see any other interesting fauna like birds, reptiles or dragonflies? Like Guy said, don't give up on Turkey: March - May are probably the best mo...

Hi, I went to Slovakia in June and spent 2 days in the South of the country close to the Hungarian border. It was perfect habitat for spotting the famous glider but did not see any. I was indeed very suprised not to see them. Has anybody recently been in Hungary and seen them? Somebody told me that ...

I went to Southern Spain last year (Malaga) and I did not see any.
If you really want to see them, plan a trip to the Canaries Islands. I went to Gran Canaria in December time and saw them there. I may be wrong but I believe that they are there all year round.
Good luck anyway,
Sylvie

Hi Chris, We spent 2 weeks in September 2003 (second and third week) in Corsica (doing some camping in Galeria about 50kms from Calvi on the west coast). We went there for doing some snorkeling. Unfortunately, this was the year where Europe was hit by a severe heat wave during the summer and everyth...

Hi Roger, Thank you for sharing the information and for posting your stunning photos!! It is interesting to know that you have seen the provence hairstreak. In the 3 years I lived in Grasse, I never saw them. The first time I saw them was in Southern Spain last year (it is a shame to go so far when ...

Hi Roger,

Did you get the chance to go to Lac St Cassien or it's whereabouts? I would be interested to know what you saw there if you did go. There are indeed some very interesting butterflies there.
Sylvie

I have just received the new edition of Collins Butterfly guide by Tolman and Lewington and it is absolutely wonderful. It covers the whole of Europe including Eastern Europe but extends to the Azores, Madeira, North Africa and the islands on the west coast of Turkey. Something as well that has chan...

Hi Guy, Thank you very much for the tips on how to find dusky / scarce large blues. I never thought of finding them like this, using binoculars is a good idea too - have some which are suited for butterfly watching. I will write a report on butterflies to be seen in May in Haute-Savoie although this...

Hi Guy, There is a site where you can see large coppers but I am very reluctant to reveal its location on the web as I know there are unscrupulous collectors out there who would be eager to get this information. I have visited this site for the last 3 years and I have seen large coppers the first 2 ...

Hi Guy, I've compiled a list for butterflies from Haute-Savoie over the week end. Unfortunately, I have not been very good at recording the exact dates but the list below is from the last 3 years and is a record of butterflies I have photographed in June and early July at all altitudes: Red Admiral ...

Hi Guy, I will work on my list over the week end and will post it sometimes next week. Thank you very much for sending the link for butterflies to be found at 600m and under. It will be a good source for me and for others as well. If you have never been to Haute-Savoie, then I would recommend that y...

Hi Guy, Fortunately I will be staying at a relatively low altitude (about 600m). I will compile a list of butterflies of the region which I have seen and photographed in June, July time over the last 3 years. Haute-Savoie is excellent for butterflies at this time of year especially at higher altitud...

Hi I hope the weather gets better. I will be in the Alps (French side - Haute Savoie) second week of May to visit family. I was hoping to see different species in May ( I always go there end of June or beg. July) but I hope the weather (especially snow falls) will not affect or delay the butterfly e...