Greenwings: Italy - Piedmont Alps, 13th - 22nd June 2019

[Chris Jackson]

As ever David, an excellent array of amazing species.
It makes one want to sign up for your trips immediately.
Chris

[David M]

...it also helps when you have Martin Warren & Simon Spencer aboard, Chris. Made my job a lot easier I can tell you!

[selbypaul]

Sounds like an excellent holiday David. Missing the Skippers photos and list though....

Look forward to hearing which of this group you saw!

[David M]

That's on it's way, Paul, though it'll have to wait till my current French Alps tour is over!

[selbypaul]

That's on it's way, Paul, though it'll have to wait till my current French Alps tour is over!

Ah of course, I forgot you were currently away again! Very jealous

[David M]

Hesperiidae

A good range of these seen, with the best being this freshly emerged Foulquier's Grizzled Skipper:

[David M]

Others in this family included Marbled Skipper and Safflower Skipper (seen here together):

[David M]

Another 'double' was Southern Grizzled Skipper in the company of Olive Skipper:

[David M]

Hesperiidae

87. Dingy Skipper
88. Mallow Skipper
89. Marbled Skipper
90. Tufted Marbled Skipper
91. Red Underwing Skipper
92. Safflower Skipper
93. Southern Grizzled Skipper
94. Olive Skipper
95. Large Grizzled Skipper
96. Foulquier's Grizzled Skipper
97. Essex Skipper
98. Small Skipper
99. Large Skipper

[David M]

Miscellaneous stuff...

There is always other wildlife to see on these trips, and sometimes you can get quite close if you keep still, for example this Green Lizard was less than 8 feet from me when I took this:

Get downwind of a marmot and you can end up within 20 yards:

[David M]

Lots of flowery meadows and orchids at this wonderful time of year - I believe this is a Military Orchid (please correct me if I'm wrong):

[essexbuzzard]

Military orchid it is!

What a line up! With Martin Warren and Simon Spencer, no wonder you saw such fabulous stuff-wish I was there!

[David M]

Thanks, Mark. Pretty sure that's the first time I've seen that one.

[David M]

Every time I visit the continent, there are always owlflies (ascalaphids). There seems to be precious little information about them but they are attractive and enchanting creatures.

These are surely two different species?

[bugboy]

You're right, there does seem to be very little info about these, which seems strange for such large and showy insects. I'd hazard an educated guess at the top one being a female Libelloides coccajus and the lower one being a male L. longicornis. The claspers at the tip of the males abdomen being an easy way to sex them.

[David M]

Thanks for this, BB. Like you say, information on such showy insects shouldn't be so hard to find.