The Alps 2019.

[Medard]

Alpine beauty from the Col de Cayolle,Altitude 2060 but what is it ?
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[Padfield]

It’s a knapweed fritillary, Melitaea phoebe.

Guy

[Medard]

Thank you for the ID Guy, the spots along the bottom of the hindwing had me flummoxed.
A few more from the Col de cayolle.
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Mountain Clouded Yellow Colias phicomone
Large Wall (Lasiommata maera)

[Padfield]

Hi Medard. Yes, the spots are optional.

For your info, that's a northern wall, Lasiommata petropolitana, not a large wall.

Guy

[David M]

...that's a northern wall, Lasiommata petropolitana, not a large wall.

Nice find, James. I bet that's a pleasant surprise for you.

[Medard]

Well well a pleasant surprise that makes up for the scary drive from Barcelonnette to the Summit of the Col along the narrow road D 902 not one to make in a camper car with a nervous wife as the passenger, luckily the sheer drops were on the drivers side,definatly not for the faint hearted.
Three more from the same location, help please.
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[Padfield]

Hi James. The first of this set is the high alpine form/subspecies/species of marsh fritillary. There is very little agreement as to the exact name of this taxon. Some older books call it Euphydryas aurinia form debilis. Tshikolovets gives it as Euphydryas glaciegenita. Leraut also treats it as a distinct species but identifies it as Euphydryas merope.

The second is Escher's blue, Polyommatus escheri.

Finally, the last is chestnut heath, Coenonympha glycerion, form/subspecies bertolis.

Guy

[Medard]

The last from the Col de Cayolle, I do hope they have been of interset to all, plus a Moth seen at Maillezais,Vendee, for the Moth experts.
More to follow from my Alpine adventures as time pemits.
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[David M]

Well well a pleasant surprise that makes up for the scary drive from Barcelonnette to the Summit of the Col along the narrow road D 902 not one to make in a camper car with a nervous wife as the passenger, luckily the sheer drops were on the drivers side,definatly not for the faint hearted....

I've only once driven on that road, James, and I know what you mean. Roger G warned me it was "tiresome" and that was an understatement!!

[Roger Gibbons]

It's still better than the Col d'Allos which is to the west, one of two roads my missus steadfastly refuses to go over. And she happily (relatively speaking) does Bonnette but only from the south.

The other is the Col de Sarennes. Mind you she hasn't done the Col des Champs from the west side or Galibier.

Roger

[Medard]

After success with the Scarce fritillary in the Cote D' Or last year my target species for my butterfly safari 2019 would be its mountain cousin the Asian Fritillary (Euphydryas intermedia) a difficult challenge, the first problem was where to find them, a visit to the Internet and the Albula Pass in Switezerland came up, a dreary looking place I thought, but help was at hand from a UKB member and a French friend, I followed their advice and opted for a French location.
After a long drive across France and as usual losing our way around Lyon we finally arrived at our camping location where we enjoyed a splendid view towards the Col de Mount Cenis, Savoie.
The following morning 02-07-2019 we eagerly set of in search for intermedia, I say we I'm not sure my wife would agree, but the road was not as bad or as steep as we both feared, a convenient car park made for a short walk up to the track where I hoped to find my target, and there she was, waiting ,I say she ,I believe my first sighting was a female ?, she was soon joined by other Asian frits , an intermedia success story, yippee, the following day we indulged in a little sight seeing and drove to the summit of the Col de Mount Cenis, regrettable no butterflies seen but plenty of cyclists, I thought it odd and rather disappointing that high mountain fritillaries that I had been hoping to see were missing, we returned to the campsite and enjoyed a splendid evenings entertainment, the sound of loud thunder rolling around the mountains.....
Eager for a chance to say farewell to intermedia I suggest a return visit, my wife was not so enthusiastic but a tiramisu clinched the deal.
More to follow https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com

Habitat of Asian Fritillary (Euphydryas intermedia)

Asian Fritillary (Euphydryas intermedia)

Col de Mount Cenis

[David M]

Well done, Jim. Not an easy find in France is intermedia.

Looks a nice spot around that lake.

[Medard]

Some more butterflies seen at the same location as Asian Fritillary (Euphydryas intermedia) 2070 m Savoie,I hope the high mountain specialists can help identify them for me.

[David M]

The ocelli are all self-contained within the white band which makes it Alpine Heath, Jim.

[Medard]

Some more butterflies seen at the same location as Asian Fritillary (Euphydryas intermedia) 2070 m Savoie,I hope the high mountain specialists can help identify them for me.

identify them for me.

[David M]

First one looks like Geranium Argus and the last is Northern Wall Brown.

The ones in between all appear to be Small Blue, except of course the moth, which I'm afraid I haven't a clue about.

[Medard]

Some more butterflies seen at the same location as the Asian Fritillary (Euphydryas intermedia) 2070 m Savoie,I hope the high mountain specialists can help identify them for me.thanks for the ID to date ,the Northern Wall (Lasiommata petropolitana) looks a very handsome butterfly,I am very pleased to have seen it.
Now we leve this beautiful location for the next stage of our journey and more challenging adventures !!!

Next leg of our journey, the Col du Télégraphe, the Col du Galibier and the beautiful Nevache Vally.
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The group of puddling skippers may be challging, the Blue looks interseting also, I look forward to your comments.

[Padfield]

Hi Medard.

The most identifiable of your puddling skippers would seem to be olive skipper, Pyrgus serratulae. This commonly comes to mud in groups like this. I don't think they all are, though, and will come back to the challenging ones!

Your small pearl-bordered fritillary is a pearl-bordered ...

After the pearl-bordered is a red-underwing skipper, Spialia sertorius.

I'll come back to the skippers when I have a little more time to look at them and think.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

From the undersides I could see, I thought they were all serratulae.

Roger

[Padfield]

Yes - on closer inspection I agree with Roger that they are probably all serratulae.

Guy