Holiday to Germany part 2b

[Philzoid]

Back at the Sennalpe Bärenschwand farmhouse ‘bar’ and after a few games of cards (in which I won for a change … no mean feat as my eldest knows all the card games including Go Johnny Go Go Go Go) , I made my excuses to check out an area which we’d passed on the way in and where I’d seen my ‘Dark green Fritillary’ (I now believe to be High Brown or Niobe male both would-be lifers) . The ladies were happy to remain seated in the shade. Gone are the days where I could persuade either one of my daughters to come with me looking for butterflies .

Getting in close to take advantage of my macro wasn’t going to be easy. Virtually all the land in Bavarian Germany was fenced off with barbed wire. In England, that Small Copper on the wrong side of the fence? ..no problem …. there’s always a gap in the wire or a gate or a stile to get you over. Not so in Germany. Their fences have been built with Teutonic precision using the minimal amount of wire but still perfectly designed to snare a ‘trespasser’ bold enough to take them on .

If you’re lucky the fence is an electric one

This spot was too good to give-up on so I took on the fence and got away with a small tear in my t-shirt. Trouble was the moment I got in the butterflies went up the bank. When I went up the bank they came down. The constant to-ing and fro-ing made the beer to pour out through my skin . Anyway, the following species were seen: - Silver-spotted Skipper; Sooty Copper; Map and a faded Ringlet

Silver-spotted Skipper ... so fast in the heat

the only one I saw of this species on the entire holiday. It was rather common in the Ariege region of France

Others seen were Meadow Brown Common Blue and Silver-washed fritillary.

The baking heat soon had me scurrying back to the farmhouse bar where after taking on more liquid I was soon ready to return. First a shot of a House Martin nest under the eaves then picking up a Comma and another Sooty Copper on my way .

Lots of Silver Y seen on this holiday

Back at my fenced area I found another Fritillary which I initially took to be a High Brown but now I think is Niobe (black scales along the veins and black dot in the light spot (arrowed) (though not sure if this is a reliable ID feature ). Both species would be lifers for me . Essex skipper was also added to the list .

Essex Skipper

Eventually we braved the heat leaving the comfort of the farmhouse shade for the walk back to the cable-car station. At the base of a steep metalled track bordered on one side by woodland (with a shrub margin) and by a grass field and hedgerow on the other, I came across another large Fritillary that wasn’t Silver-washed. This one was quartering the area and going to ground on the shorter grass margins of the track. It was much fresher than my other example but even so I think this one is High Brown and not Niobe . It appeared to be ovipositing but would not remain still for long before moving on and dropping down to another spot usually after flying over the hedgerow or into the woods before returning with its arcing flight. Eventually it didn’t return. The rest of the group un-interested, had moved on leaving me to move at a brisk pace to catch them up. I was absolutely chuffed at seeing that butterfly and I hope the pictures will be good enough for an ID confirmation .

Knowing that the others would be flagging I took some time to explore the grassy gully where I’ve taken some shots of Mazarine Blue on the way in. Common blue was the only species I encountered this time.

Butterfly species seen so far: Meadow Brown; Small Heath; Gatekeeper; Common Blue; Small White; Mazarine Blue; Green-veined White; Swallowtail; Silver-washed Fritillary; Marbled White; Small Skipper (?); Sooty Copper; Silver-spotted Skipper; Map; Ringlet; Essex Skipper; Niobe fritillary and High Brown Fritillary = 18 species (the last two: subject to review)

Phil

[Wurzel]

Great to see Captain Haddock Philzoid I reckon both your IDs are right; the first looks Niobe (not seen one of those) and the second looks good for High Brown Great Map shots and brill Silver-spot Looking forward to the next installment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

Hi Phil. Yes, you're spot on with the fritillary IDs. The particular spot you refer to is indeed an indicator of niobe but much more obvious is the black venation on the underside hindwing. The slightly convex outer margin to the forewing is useful too. High brown lacks the black venation and has a slightly concave outer margin. The fritillary in your part 2a was also high brown (hence my reference to a more elevated shade ...).

Also in reference to a previous part of your Germany trip: I drink beer on the way up and the way down but it tastes the very best at the top. My local supermarket in Switzerland used to sell Adnams - first the Southwold Bitter then Ghost Ship but eventually gave up, presumably because I was the only one drinking it. It doesn't taste the same out of a bottle anyway. One of the few real consolatons of moving back to the UK is being able to drink the stuff draught!

Guy

[Philzoid]

Great to see Captain Haddock Philzoid

Yeah, one of my comic book heroes . I grew up on reading Tintin books and bedtime reading them to my daughters when they were younger .

Thanks Wurzel and Guy for the confirmations for the fritillaries . My main doubt was whether the lighter coloured niobe was a form of adippe. As I said, until then had never seen these species before.

On my ‘Dark-green’ which wasn’t, the thick sex-brands was the first reason I suspected it wasn’t aglaja, but that’s all I concluded .... so thanks for the “High Brown” confirmation Guy .

Sennalpe Bärenschwand was probably the highest point for us on Hundle … and that’s where I had my beers. Adnams is a great pint especially in Southwold as the pubs are only a stones-throw from the brewery. It did taste odd at first though . The camping trip after Germany was the first time I’d tried “Ghost-ship” from the barrel … another good pint . Prior to that its always been “Bitter” or “Broadside”

Phil

[David M]

Good to see you got close up and personal with both Niobe & High Brown Fritillaries, Philzoid. These species can be tricky unless there are copious nectar sources (usually thistles/knapweed) to keep them becalmed.

[Philzoid]

These species can be tricky unless there are copious nectar sources (usually thistles/knapweed) to keep them becalmed

Yes, I found that out later which I mention in another post
My High Brown was a ‘easy’ because I think it was a female ovipositing (hope I'm right on this ). Certainly, there were no nectar sources in the short grass by the track and (she) kept going to ground, but not on the track itself as a butterfly would do to absorb heat perhaps.

Phil

[David M]

..My High Brown was a ‘easy’ because I think it was a female ovipositing (hope I'm right on this )

I'd say so, Phil. No sign of the sex brands on the part-open wing shot you've got.