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 Yes. There is an open winged image on pyrgus.de and Matt Rowlings has a half open image on his site, but other than thos...

What a terrific result, Pete! Strange how the best results sometimes only arise only after making you think it really isn’t going to happen. Roger Thanks Roger. Yes - it's as if the Butterfly Gods like to see you sweat a bit before they allow you to sample the pleasure of sweet success! What a fant...

Adding new species to my European Butterflies “life-list” gets harder all the time. In terms of the butterflies of Western Europe I plucked most of the low hanging fruit some years ago and am now having to cherry-pick small groups of butterflies that occur in particular regions, or occasionally unde...

Sounds like quite a challenging trip in many ways so far, but that Vaucher's Heath is absolutely stunning!!!

I was also lucky enough to see fresh Large Tortoiseshell and Pasha at the telecommunication masts above Benalmedina 1485DE00-7870-469E-95B4-465FB5971AE4.jpeg That is incredibly early for a fresh Large Tortoiseshell Andy! We had a very ragged overwintered one near Grazalema. Yours must have been the...

Hi Roger, It is noticeable that the markings on your desfontainii from the "French" side are subtly but definitely different to those photographed by David and myself in Andalusia recently. Pulling them up side by side on the computer screen shows these differences clearly. In particular, ...

Now that's a huge surprise and great result David -was certainly NOT expecting that in your report! Time to invoke the greenies

A wonderful report Pete and a great series of images, you have done a great job of 'selling' David's Greenwings southern Spain for 2024. I have to say your reports always a great read as they convey your emotions to the reader perfectly, whether they are ecstasy or disappointment. I'm excited to le...

Benjamin wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 9:57 pm Super report Pete! So glad you found your targets and really enjoyed your account - thanks for sharing!

Thanks Benjamin - it's always a pleasure putting together these reports and reliving the experiences - glad you enjoyed it!

David M wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 5:29 pm Great stuff, Pete. Those Fritillaries are pure gold, aren't they?

They certainly are David! A great start to this year's European Butterfly season - let's hope it augurs well for the rest of the year!

Hi Ian - nice selection! I enjoyed those. I shall be heading out to Northern Greece and SW Bulgaria myself in just over 3 weeks time with my wife and another couple. We shall almost certainly be too late for Gruner's OT, but I would love to see Inky Skipper! One of my top target species for the trip...

It's amazing the difference a week makes. I very much suspected we were on the verge of seeing Spanish Purple Hairstreak, such is the crazy early season this year. And you did indeed see it, just a week after us! Paul - it was not a species I was expecting in early May! Rather a surprise, in a very...

John Vergo wrote: ↑Tue May 16, 2023 5:44 pm Great report Pete, glad you managed to get the prime targets

Thanks John - it was (eventually) a highly satisfying trip! Hope you are having a good butterfly season

Two of Western Europe’s rarer fritillaries have been near the top of my “most wanted” list for several years now, but the road to actually seeing them in the wild has been unexpectedly tricky to navigate. To put things briefly into perspective, I first got serious about going in search of Aetherie a...

Following this one with great interest David, especially as I have just returned from a week in Andalusia myself, including the Antequera and Grazalema areas, albeit a week later than you. I look forward to comparing notes

Hi Nick - I have pm'd you but for some reason my message seems to be sat in my outbox and is not appearing in my ""sent messages" folder. Please let me know if you have received it. Cheers. Pete

I'll echo the comments above - a great selection of fine shots, Steve. You certainly nailed the endemics! I am envious of your eversi, one still on my hitlist of Canarian endemics.

I think the confusion arises from the link that David has included to Matt Rowling's excellent website. The first two images of Speckled Wood on Matt's page appear to have their names transposed, tircis for aegeria and vice versa.

Hi Chris, I have no personal experience of the larvae of cynthia but have seen plenty of adults over the years in the Hautes Alpes and Maritime Alpes. In La Vie des Papillons, Lafranchis et al suggest that the females lay eggs on terrain with a south or south-easterly aspect, and that the larvae are...

My copy arrived this morning and has already been devoured. Some great articles and photographs as always - and a fabulous front cover!!