The only good thing I can say about the west approach to the Col des Champs is that it is where I first saw a Poplar Admiral, on 4 July 2008. It landed on the road and for the next hour it was just the two of us, no cars, no other humans. Another road to avoid (noting Matsukze’s suggestion) is the C...

"one of the worst in Europe". Although I can think of several other candidates, I can see what he means. The road is too narrow along much of its length for two cars to pass, there are hardly any barriers on the drop-side to prevent you from descending, the local drivers seem to use it as...

Hi Guy,

Thanks for the confirmation, very much the direction I was heading in. I'll amend my records.

Lycaena can't change its spots, as the old saying goes. Something beginning with "L", maybe it wasn't Lycaena, though.

Roger

Episode 5 of 5 23 July in eastern central France, to a spot where we found Alcon Blue ( P. alcon alcon ) by accident last year, albeit only one female and only male, even though the female was egg-laying assiduously. It was not a disappointment – the egg laying activity being just as fevered as last...

Episode 4 19 July, still in the Mercantour. I am sure this is a Foulquier’s Grizzled Skipper ( P. foulquieri ) – what else could it possibly be? But it was in a location which I have visited many times and never seen it there before. Pyrgus foulquieri_47527.JPG At the same location, in my opinion a ...

Hi Pete, Despite many hours of searching at several apparently suitable sites, including "known locations", and considerable cardio-vascular exertion to boot, I failed to locate scipio (yet again). I think scipio is becoming increasingly difficult to find. I recall (I think, maybe be mista...

Hi Guy,

Here is the image that just shows the hindwing angle. Much as I would like it to be graeca and I would grateful to anyone who says yes, that's graeca because... Roger

16 July, next stop, the Col de la Bonnette. Aberrations don’t only happen in Lincolnshire – here is one from Bonnette and the only clue I will give is that it was seen at 2300m. I’ll come back to it at the end. Boloria napaea_47391.JPG At the same spot, one of my favourite Erebia is Mountain Ringlet...

I think these issues were predicted in 1555.

Roger

Also from the same site in Savoie, a Northern Wall Brown ( Lasiommata petropolitana ). It is rather similar to its close cousin Large Wall ( L. maera ) but can easily be distinguished by the clear discal line on the hindwing. It is not a common species but tends to pop up in unexpected places, usual...

It might have been surrounded by a dozen cirsii for a reason... my guess is that it was one of them.

Roger

I returned a few days ago from a trip to the French Alps. I had a trip planned in February but of course the travel restrictions (and common sense) put that on hold until they were eased as of 4 July. This meant that my original plans to be in the right places in the flight periods of the target spe...

It seems to me to have a been a bizarre year. In Savoie on 9 July the Asian Fritillaries were clearly a week past their best and the couple of male Cranberry Blues were also rather worn. At Cayolle, realtively little was flying at Estence on 20 July (the savage cutting of the verges around the lake ...

I stopped off at Pete's ripartii spot today - two weeks after you saw it there, so I was wondering if it may have gone by now, but no, I did manage to see one. It has to be said that Pete has a happy knack of finding species where you would least expect them to be. I mooched around the region for an...

I hope this doesn’t spoil one of your three lifers, or maybe better if it did, David, but today I left Bonnette at around 14.00 as it clouded over and I dropped down (going south) to the village where we stopped off with the tour. I took a walk of about 1km along the old track to Bonnette and was ve...

By coincidence, I have seen aethiopella this afternoon with and without ocelli, at the same location. I think I got scipio today, only a distance shot but I think enough to confirm it. I am in Briançon at the moment and will be visiting the aforesaid Col tomorrow, hoping that glacialis will put in a...

A mating pair can show the difference between the sexes. Roger

Has Eric got a hundred shovels? That'd be good.

Roger

Some time ago I made a post on UKB in haste and didn't notice until later that I had spelt my name starting with a T instead of an R. Sort of changed the meaning.

It appears to be a very early season. A trip today to a Black Hairstreak site showed them in profusion - I could have counted over 50. They were all highly active in full sunshine but disappeared into the bushes at the slightest hazing over. This female was taking honeydew, I assume. Satyrium pruni_...

Viva Zapater!

(even though people may wonder what I'm going on about)

Roger