France,Switzerland,Italy late 2016.

[LancsRover]

Hi All, Yes it's holiday time again and we are back on the road, no Spain this time, we are going through France(a little), then Switzerland(a little) to Lake Garda in Italy for 4 weeks and back the same route.
Only took us 8 hours from sunny Lancashire to Folkestone, M26 closed, M20 closed plus rain and road works, usually takes 6 hours, not to worry, we are in France now, arrived Sunday 4th Sept. just before the Calais blockade.
Today Monday(5th) we cycled/walked around Lac du Der, near St. Dizier in north-east France, there is a grass and wild flower embankment around the perimeter of the lake and although it was only cloud/bright(no real sun) it was around 22c.
We came across the following butterflies;
Peacock 3,
Painted Lady 2,
Green Veined White 5+,
Small White 10+,
Swallowtail 10+,
Small Heath 12+,
Meadow brown 3,
Clouded Yellow 4,
Common Blue Female,
Silver Y moth,

Not a bad start,

Russ
Pics to follow.

[LancsRover]

Pics from today's report, I hope you enjoy them,
Regards Russ

[essexbuzzard]

Good start there,Russ. Have a good time and we look foreword to seeing the images-and being very envious!

[Charles Nicol]

very nice pics Russ !! look forward to seeing more

Charles

[NickMorgan]

I am very envious Russ. The second half of the season has been very disappointing up here.

[LancsRover]

Cheers Mark and Charles, I hope you are both fit and well.
Russ
Yeah Nick, it hasn't been great in North-West England these last few weeks and I was glad to get away for my "fix" of butterflies.
Russ



Tuesday 6th Sept.
Just a short one night stop at Epinal(N/E France),
I had a quick end of afternoon ride around Lac de Bouzey, sunny and 25c.
Only spotted a few Speckled Wood in the forest rides, a few whites and an old female Silver-Washed Frit on a garden buddleia, this lake is now very popular with many new houses having been and are still being built since I last came here some 4 or 5 years ago.
Russ

[LancsRover]

Wednesday 7.9.16. Sunny, 28c.
Ottenbach, Switzerland.
This is a great area for low level walking and cycling, no need to go on any roads, there are tracks off in every direction from our camp site next to the river Reuss.
We arrived mid-afternoon and after sorting out our motorhome, we went for a walk down the side of the river but it was obvious after a short while that we would only see the odd Speckled Wood and a few whites. We went back towards our camp site and crossed the road and found a small meadow with a few wild flowers and clover growing only about a foot high. At first we didn't see much flying, then a couple of Swallowtails flew past which brought up Clouded Yellows, Small Whites and a couple of Short-tailed Blues,I think that's what they are, can anyone please confirm
We came across a small stream next to a retail shop and while my wife went in to have a look around, I watched at least 10 Banded Demoiselles dance and chase each other just above the water level, never landing, it was magic. Pics. below, apologises for quality of B/Demoiselles photo's, never still.
Russ

[LancsRover]

Thursday 8.9.16. Sunny 29c.
Ottenbach, Switzerland.
We went for a bike ride on the far bank of the river Reuss, the track was well away from the river, through meadows which had been cut or where about to be cut, including the track embankments which are quite steep.
We came across a lovely little pond almost at the side of the cycle track, the farmer had left the meadow around this pond uncut, maybe to help the wild life? I hope so, anyway it was working, here I found Swallowtail, Short-tailed Blue, Common Blue, Small Blue, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and Small Whites. Plenty of wild fowl also, a couple of Grey Heron(we saw 8 Heron in total, some in the freshly cut meadows) and a Stork at the pond on our way back, also plenty of dragonflies and damselflies as usual.
Pics. below.
Russ

[LancsRover]

Correction to the last report(8.9.16.) it's not a Small Blue, it's a Mazarine Blue, a new one for me.
I should have waited for the ID result I had put on earlier.
Cheers Guy.
Russ.

[LancsRover]

Saturday 10th Sept. 2016. Sunny,hot 29c.
Cugnasco, 6km east of LOCARNO, Switzerland.
Cycle/walk around the camp site freshly cut fields but wide margins left alone, early afternoon.
Plenty of Small Heath, Common Blues, a Small Copper in the fields and quite a few Speckled Wood(tircis) on the track leading through the woods.
I found a small path leading from the main woods track, which opened up into bright sunlight, where there were 4/5 small wild buddleia bushes teeming with butterflies.
Here I found;
Red Admirals,
White Admirals,
Silver-washed Frits.
Swallowtails,
Large Skippers,
Common Blues,
Humming-bird Hawk moth
and what I think maybe a Southern Comma, Polygonia egea (see photo below), it has quite a few less markings than P. -album and the "comma" is L shaped instead of the usual u/comma shape. The main problem (according to my books) is the Southern Comma isn't in SWITZERLAND Please feel free to comment about the pro's and con's of the matter, I would be very grateful.
Russ

[Roger Gibbons]

It is a Comma (P. c-album), sorry to say, quite a worn one which maybe made ID more difficult.

Here are some clues (from my egea page):
An underside shot is probably essential for definitive identification although the lower forewing margin is almost conclusive on its own, the margin of egea being almost straight whereas the c-album margin is highly curved.

The underside is also distinctive, being lighter than c-album, and having the appearance of a piece of wood or bark, perfect camouflage. The unh white mark is more of a "Y" than the "C" of c-album, although I have seen and photographed c-album with a white mark somewhere between the egea Y and the c-album C. The wing edges are rather more jagged in egea than c-album.

Roger

[LancsRover]

Thanks Roger for the info. on the comma.
Russ.

[LancsRover]

Arrived here at Salo on the west side of Lake Garda on Sunday 11th Sept. 2016 and it has been very hot, 30c+ for the first few days.
Wednesday 14th Sept. 2016 Mount Stino 1400 metres A.S.L. temp 21c at the summit.
The mountain is about 20 miles north of our campsite and you can drive almost to the summit, there is even a little café there where we had a "Americano" after our walk on the mountain.
Here we found;
Great Banded Grayling, on our way up the mountain,
Dryad, Water Ringlet and Scotch Argus on the grass area about 100 metres from the summit,
At the summit we found a wide variety of butterflies and even a large dragonfly;
Marbled White,
Common Blue,
Chalk-hill Blue,
Small Heath(20+),
Large Skipper,
Grizzled Skipper, Oberthur's I think, I stand to be corrected ,
on the way down we came across a very bright Clouded Yellow, quite small and very yellow in colour, may be something different(photo to follow)
Then a Brimstone and Speckled Wood at the side of the road,
all in all a great day out with 13 different b/f's seen.
Photo's to follow,
Russ

[LancsRover]

Photo's from last report, 14.9.16.(poor internet).
Russ

[LancsRover]

More pics. from 14.9.16.
Russ

[Padfield]

Hi Russ. I think your very bright clouded yellow is a male Berger's.

Guy

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Russ

Your Speckled Wood is actually a Wall.

Lovely photos!

Best wishes,

Lee

[Johncob]

Its good to see you are having a great time Russ and ' got amongst them '. I've been concentrating on Dragonflies back home.

[LancsRover]

Hi Guy, thanks for the info. on the Clouded Yellow, it did look different, another lifer

Russ

[LancsRover]

Hi Lee, your right it is a wall, wrong photo attached, another senior moment
Cheers Russ.