David M wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 7:11 pm Lol! I was clearly in the wrong dimension there!

If string theory is right, you'll have eleven to choose from...

Roger

There might be a multiverse where it is true...

In the meantime, I'm prepared to give Albert Einstein the benefit of the doubt.

Roger

I presume that is you in that black and white image, Roger? Yes David, it is, a few days short of my tenth birthday. About that time, I also persuaded my father to take me to L. Hugh Newman's butterfly farm in Bexley, Kent. I also have a copy of Butterflies Of The Wood (1953) by S. and E.M. Beaufoy...

My earliest memory was of seeing a Speckled Wood in a garden in Bricket Wood and that image stayed with me ever since. We moved to Borehamwood in March 1953 (I was 6) from bombed out London, and it seemed like paradise with woods just 200 yards away (yards are like metres, but a bit smaller, this is...

Some of the scientific names aren't too clever, either. Blind Ringlet is Erebia pharte and the subspecies that occurs in the Alps is, wait for it, phartina . The high altitude form of the Sooty Copper is subalpinus . I'm always careful how I pronounce that. PS - I think 'purple emperor' smacks more ...

I sent Tim's life-cycle paper to Benjamin via a pm a few days ago, but when I just checked it hadn't gone because my outbox was full, so re-sent and attached here as it may be of wider interest. I think Tim's site may be unlikely to be restored with Orange, but may resurface with another host. Colia...

I would not rely on an ID app that was based on images submitted by unconfirmed sources. You only have to put a species name into Google to see that quite a selection the images are not correct, and this is true even on sites that have images for licencing. The CEN-PACA Atlas took a more rigorous ap...

I grappled with the "spine" and came to the same conclusion as Guy (always reassuring) that it was of almost no value in IDing argus and its compatriots. FWIW I outline my take on this issue on my argus page: https://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/html/Plebejus%20argus.htm With a little exper...

I have been using the “eyebrow” for quite some time (I outline this on my alcyone (Rock) page – and T&L shows this quite clearly) and I find it actually quite reliable and aligned with other factors – alcyone is noticeably smaller and alcyone doesn’t in my experience site on tree trunks. There a...

Is that ‘enigma’ definitely lycaon David? Looks like a female jurtina to me (I certainly wouldn’t hesitate in the areas where I see both species) but you do lead many trips in this part of the world, and I’ve pretty much never been there so if you say so I’ll take it! I agree jurtina 100%. Species ...

I have no experience of Spanish endemics, but this looks rather like Muschampia, possibly proto (Sage Skipper) or the Spanish equivalent.

It isn't a Pyrgus species.

Someone with Spanish experience...

Roger

Travelling in the Pyrenees at the moment, but female Meadow Fritillary would be my guess as the least unlikely of the options. The female can be quite dusky at some degree of altitude, and almost indistinguishable from female Grisons where both occur (which they do).

Roger

I’ll add my congratulations, Stevie, it is a special experience for those lucky enough enjoy it. A big part of the fun is when they approach bird-size and swoop around checking for predators etc. In southern France in May and June, I am fortunate enough to see them frequently and I use banana/rum (I...

There seems to be one notable absentee - Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii), which is more than a bit worrying. If a group spending a week in the prime region can't find it, it suggests that it might have disappeared from its one-time stronghold.

Roger

One further observation on your oedippus images, Pete, possibly the most surprising, is that you got open wing shots which, as far as I can see, are as rare as hen's teeth.

Roger

What a terrific result, Pete! Great reward for the research and planning. Strange how the best results sometimes only arise only after making you think it really isn’t going to happen. I first saw oedippus in that region circa 1998 when I was very much a novice. I just labelled it as hyperantus , tu...

One of the strangest European butterflies, the Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis) enjoying talking salts from some sandy soil. Roger

Very nice video, Jim.

The photos and videos where you need be flat on the ground become more interesting when you realise that the local ants object to your presence and have a very good way of letting you know.

Roger

Releases of BVW are not new. I recall some years ago, I think maybe 2008, Pete ran a photographic workshop (they were good…) somewhere in Hampshire and we were all invited to bring a photo for others to comment on and maybe critique. I brought a photo of a BVW taken in France, and by chance there ha...

In our garden/patio (close to the south coast - nearest town Fréjus). It was on a rum/banana mash that they find irresistible. Half the fun is watching them swoop around before landing. No other species flies with the speed and power of Pashas. Waiting to read your Pyrenees report with interest.... ...