Sorry, Bugboy, but that's the end of it.

I did see many Painted Ladies and a few Desert or Bath Whites but didn't manage a photo to separate them. My feeling is that they were daplidice because of the size.

Tony.

£5 for a 330ml bottle. :( Guy, my sentiments entirely - I had three bottles in 10 days - my total alcohol consumption - very boring... :( Thank you for your demoleus/demodocus explanation. Larsen also mentions the usually larger red hindwing spot on demoleus , which is another indicator in my examp...

Thanks, Guy, Believe me, the beer price is unbelievable. The best you can find is about £5 for a 330ml bottle - hotels charge twice that! Oman cont. There were many 'Blues' around the various flowering shrubs, the commonest being Desert Babul Blue ( Azanus ubaldus ), a new one for me: 2020 01 14_025...

Yes, Bugboy,
I had already sussed that. Wiki also suggests that Papilio demodocus does not occur in Oman, whereas Larsen shows a map of the distribution of both species. Wiki is not for serious readers imho! .

Tony M.

Thanks, Wurzel, The Salmon Arabs were two different insects (they are an amazing salmon colour in flight). The first one landed a couple of times, both with wings open. The second behaved so differently that I thought it was another species. I saw it on the ground at first and when it flew, it was o...

Just back from some winter sun and butterflies in Oman. Despite being so close to Iran, it is a very stable country and feels very safe. While we were there, the much loved and respected Sultan Qeboos died. There was an initial four day mourning period when no music was played – good – and no alcoho...

Terrific report, Pete - made me remember our trip a couple of years ago. Did you have trouble photographing the 'Crackers'? I found that they tended to land on the shady side of a tree, and when I used a flash the pre-flash caused them to flip their wings and spoil the shot. But CR is certainly a bu...

Fascinating stuff, Callum, thanks for brightening my autumn days (in more ways than one!).

Tony M.

Good fun - thank you...

Woof-woof!

Knot Grass (Aronicta rumisis), I think.

Tony M.

Wow, Man!

,

Tony M.

Tony M.

Terrific Stuff!

Tony M.

You are really starting to tempt me, Tony, Do go, David, you can give the local restaurants a miss and most eateries do a respectable chicken curry. Bhutan is like nowhere else on the planet and a holiday there should not be too expensive if you choose your flights carefully (Air India to Delhi and...

Many thanks, Neil - much appreciated,

Tony.

The C Y waiting was worth it - terrific images ( I once stayed up all night waiting for a Dingy Skip egg to hatch - and who says that butterfliers are off their collective heads?)
With the Red Admiral, even the underside is amazing - that flash of metallic blue...
Bring it on...

Tony M.

Is Bhutan really part of planet earth at all? You are quite right, David. Stunning country, few people, few cars, free healthcare (funded by wealthy visitors), little crime and fabulous butterflies. Imagine what one might see up in Jigme Dorgi National Park - all those high altitude Apollos, Bhutan...

Hi Trevor, You are quite right with ' don't know what to expect next. As I was watching a Common Mormon taking salts, a Paris Peacock pushed in and tried to move it on... And many thanks, Pauline for your comments, although you mustn't disparage the British species - they are all beautiful in their ...

The next morning we parted company with Sonam and took off towards Paro. We visited the amazing 17th cent Punaka Dzong (fortress) at the confluence of two rivers. There were many original wall paintings – an amazing survival: 2019 07 21_0102.jpg From Paro we were to visit the fabled Tiger's Nest Mon...

Many thanks, Guy. Only a little bit left, I'm afraid (tomorrow), but it was a real adventure...

Tony.