That's a great shot of the Gavarnie Ringlet Roger! I am very jealous - not a species I have seen before. Think a trip to the Pyrenees might be called for next year...

Paul, I am no expert, but for what it's worth I agree with Guy on this, and pretty much for the same reasons - I certainly can't see this as being varia , having seen plenty in the field, and I can't see it as deione either. Did you have an alternative species in mind? I find that quite often the ke...

The Chequered Blue is a gorgeous butterfly David. I have only ever seen it on the famous track behind Stephane's hotel, at the very beginning of June. You were lucky to get it so late in what was, by all accounts, an early year!

Some familiar landscapes there David! Be interesting to hear what you found, especially as you were out there a good week and a bit before us.

Thanks Guy - interestingly, eros ws my first call on the aberrant, mainly because they were much the commoner species in the area, and I struggled to confirm a definite icarus up there. Appreciate the confirmation of lycaon -I was fairly confident, but having spent many hours in search of this speci...

Here is the continuation from my last post, and a couple of high altitude species that I missed. Firstly, the lovely Silvery Argus: Silvery Argus.JPG And secondly, the Silky Ringlet, a tricky Erebia that favours scree slopes and is difficult to get close to. I have seen it at several sites over the ...

Part Three - Alpine adventures in the Alpes Maritimes, Alpes de Haute Provence and Hautes Alpes - 8th to 15th July 2017 This was an ambitious trip, attempting to take in three different departments in the mountains of south-east France over the course of eight days. I have visited this area quite a...

Fabulous stuff! Those hairstreaks are particularly gorgeous. Might have to consider a trip out there myself one day...

Thanks David - yes, the diversity of the markings on the Large Blues was quite remarkable! Presumably a good sign of the genetic diversity of the local colonies. Also, something that doesn't come across in the photo's is the sheer size of some of them. I am not exaggerating when I say that some indi...

Thanks for your kind comments, folks. I shall get part 3 uploaded shortly!

Part Two - A trip to the north of the Dordogne -17th June to 1st July 2017 This was a very different trip to the previous one. Four of us shared a gite for a fortnight, and spent our time exploring the lovely towns and countryside of the "Perigord Vert". We did a few touristy things, ate ...

Having enjoyed many posts on this forum over the years, I thought it was time I made a small contribution of my own. I have recently had the good fortune to be able to make three trips to three very different parts of France during June and July this year. My first trip was to the Doubs department o...

Thanks again John and David - I am now swaying towards gorge myself - there is a frustratingly small amount of hindwing just visible on one of my shots which when zoomed in might possibly have a slightly marbled tone to it. To quote John Chapple - "Bloody Erebias!!". I suspect now that bot...

Many thanks Guy, John and David - There are two more pics from this site - retrieved from the recycle bin Guy, just in case they offer any further clues! Still think the general feel was pluto - I encountered several similar looking individuals at the col d'Izoard in the Queyras bacj in 2012, and th...

Sadly i didn't manage to get an underside - they were flying up and down the scree slopes, hardly ever settling, and when they did settle briefly it was always somewhere inaccessible!
Behaviour-wise they were very much like previous Sooty Ringlets I have seen - must admit hadn't considered Silky...

sooty ringlet or mnestra.JPG Hi folks, Would be most grateful for opinions on the Id of the attached Erebia, photographed late July on scree/sparse grassland just above the Col de Larche on the French/Italian border at around 2050m. I was searching for Larche Ringlet without success, but found quit...

Great stuff Dave! Can't wait to hear what else you found during your trip.

Looking forward to hearing the results of your travels Dave!

Just back from another great trip to the Maritime Alps - having a crisis of confidence in identifying the uppermost skipper in this rather poor quality photo... any thoughts much appreciated!
Cheers.
Pete

Many thanks John and Guy. The orientalis/flocciferus debate is particularly interesting. I have limited experience of both (orientalis on Corfu once several years ago, and flocciferus in the Pyrenees and French Alps on a number of occasions, but always at fairly high altitude). My first impression o...