Queyras region 2020

[Medard]

A challenging trip to the Alps with the dark cloud of Corvid overhanging us, nevertheless we were able to enjoy the mountains, the sky was blue and we could avoid the crowds rushing to enjoy themselves regardless of any fears that they may have had.
The Alpine locations we visit are fairly remote, we stayed at  locations previously visited in the Queyras region choosing spacious campsites , our Mobile home gives us the advantage of being self contained with only brief visits to small local shops who took great care to protect their customers , so here we are back in the UK before quarantine regulations are imposed for  those returning from France.

Here are some Moths that I hope you can enjoy, most were found on my early morning visits to the camp ablutions attracted by the nighttime lighting at Camping Le Gouret south of Abries.

More to follow.
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[David M]

So glad you had an enjoyable and productive trip, Jim. I look forward to hearing more.

[Medard]

More Moths from Camping Le Gouret , the best are yet to come.
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[Medard]

More Moths from Camping Le Gouret.
Day flying Moths to follow.
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[Medard]

More Moths
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Day flying moths at L'Echalp 1800m


I do hope somone can put a name to this magnificent moth, one of my best finds at L'Echalp

L'Echalp 1800m

L'Echalp 1800m

[Padfield]

The magnificent moth is Euchalcia variabilis, I think - the purple-shaded gem.

Guy

[Medard]

Many thanks Guy, I believe the moth justifies its English name Purple-shaded gem, lovely subtle colours , it was fascinating to watch it greedily nectering on the scabious flower.Pictures no 3 and 4 may be of a different species found at the same location if memory serves.

[Matsukaze]

Many thanks Guy, I believe the moth justifies its English name Purple-shaded gem, lovely subtle colours , it was fascinating to watch it greedily nectering on the scabious flower.Pictures no 3 and 4 may be of a different species found at the same location if memory serves.

3 and 4 look like Silver Y, or something closely related, to me.

[Medard]

Now for the Butterflies.
From Grenoble we took the Route Napoleon, the road is demanding to drive but scenically very beautiful ,
we waved to old Bony as we passed by the Prairie de la Rencontre , and continued on, finally we arrived at the small parking space just below the village of Vajouffrey, Isère. a village that time has forgot.

Route Napoleon

On our first visit the meadows above the village were awash with flowers, butterflies every where, now that the fields had been mown no butterflies, as we returned towards our campsite I stopped at a location that Mr Roger G had suggested, lots of activity with numerous species puddling, some compensation for the lack of species that I had hoped to see in the fields above the village.
We then arrived at the campsite that we had previous used, despite its hippy like character the camping is spacious and quiet, it also offers a very good real ! beer, now that was a surprise, made a change from lager, it was much needed after such a demanding drive.
Here are a selection of butterflies seen, I do hope someone mor experienced than I can help with their identification.
More to follow
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Camping at Vajoufrey Haute Alps .jpg

Dawn. Vajoufrey Haute Alps .jpg

[Medard]

Valjouffrey, Isère ,continued
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Taking a stroll in the neighbouring field I spotted this amorous couple, my favorite picture of the day.

Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) Valjouffrey, Isère

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja).

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja).Valjouffrey, Isère

Pictures Nos  3 and 4 Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia) ? I do have difficulties with this species, can someone please confirm.

I had hoped to have seen more species at  Valjouffry so I was a little  disappointed, hoping  for better luck at the Col de Vars our destination for tomorrow.

[Padfield]

Hi Medard. Your grayling looks like female fagi - I'd give 95% confidence on that. Less confidence for the Pyrgus without an upperside, but my bet is on carlinae from all the visible pointers. The ringlet is genuinely puzzling to me. My first thought was aethiops, then I saw the posdiscal ocelli on the underside hindwing and the extent of the white in the pd band. So then I thought euryale - but the upperside ocelli are all pupilled, as in f. adyte. Does that fly there? I think that's probably my best guess - euryale f. adyte (or some other pupilled form of euryale) but I'd like to hear from someone who knows the local forms better.

Finally, the Melitaea. I'd go for some form of diamina but again, I've not seen this particular form before. Perhaps one of the Queyras specialists could comment.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

I think your first thought of aethiops was right, Guy. Most of Valjouffrey is flat and around 1100m altitude, probably too low for most other Erebia at that time, and aethiops is quite common there. So the circumstantial evidence becomes quite a significant pointer in this case, I think.

For the Melitaea, I would veer toward athalia. The heavy unh post-discal crescents look very diamina-like but I think all the other evidence points to athalia. It would be a very unusual diamina if it were that, as most are very dark, many with almost black hindwings.

Valjouffrey is not the mecca for butterflies that it used to be, especially since they cleared the riverside area for wood stockage. The days of seeing 50 species in a day are long past, it seems. I spent a day there on 22 July and saw only 32 species. I say "only" in the comparative sense. I always have lunch at the campsite, a very relaxed place, although it was better when the hygiene was lax and you could spot the odd Poplar Admiral and Purple Emperor on the ground around the shower block.

[Medard]

Thanks you both,Guy ,Roger.
I have found a better shot of one of the skippers, it somehow ended in the bin, and have attempted to enhanced the aethiops ? picture, I hope this helps.

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[Padfield]

Interesting! How difficult is that Pyrgus! It's not carlinae, I now think, seeing the upperside. Could it be armoricanus? For all of these butterflies, I think Roger's local knowledge must trump mine, which is fine-tuned for Swiss forms; but I should note that I have seen very similar diamina in the Pyrenees - form vernetensis - including the heavy branding under the forewing. I have difficulty seeing athalia (strictly, nevadensis) in this butterfly.

GUy

[petesmith]

For the Melitaea, I would veer toward athalia. The heavy unh post-discal crescents look very diamina-like but I think all the other evidence points to athalia. It would be a very unusual diamina if it were that, as most are very dark, many with almost black hindwings.

I would second Roger's opinion on the Melitaea; agreed, the underside crescents are in the diamina ball-park, but I have never seen diamina with anything other than dark upper hindwings, often very dark, even on individuals with some lighter forewing variation. With athalia (nevadensis) being so variable, especially in this region, it would get my vote. Here are a few examples of diamina, taken in the same general region (the darkness when on the wing makes this, in my experience, one of the easiest fritillaries to identify in flight with a high degree of confidence):

M.diamina

[Padfield]

Nevadensis is certainly very variable and I couldn't rule it out, though this individual is very strangely marked for that species. The interesting thing is that it is perfectly marked for diamina (note in particular the regularity and evenness of the submarginal and postdiscal series on the forewing and the heaviness of the discal spot in s.1) and I have often wondered whether a light form might fly in other places than the Pyrenees and Cataluña. In the Pyrenees, where officially subspecies vernetensis flies (vernetensis has bright orange upperside hindwings), one still occasionally comes across dark, alpine individuals - so the genes for both forms are clearly in the population. I have seen both forms in the Val d'Aran. I don't know about Cataluña, where they are said to be even brighter above. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the bright form occurred as an occasional aberration or variant in the Alps, though I have yet to show this conclusively in Switzerland.

This is vernetensis (with selene). Note that the forewing markings in vernetensis are more irregular than in the nominate form:



I'm quite happy to accept the democratic nevadensis. It would be interesting, though, to discover a light form of diamina in the Alps.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

My understanding was that vernetensis was endemic to the eastern Pyrenees, and we are currently in the Écrins. This is a diamina from Valjouffrey July 2018. I also find athalia to be very variable, as Pete says.

With regard to the Pyrgus, I’m fairly sure that several different species come down at this spot. It seems quite a low altitude (1120m) but I am sure carlinae flies there. Not that I think that the upperside is this (almost certainly not), just that the location isn’t a strong pointer to any one species. I wonder if the upperside points to alveus. Here is a Valjouffrey shot of alveus from 2018 – it’s not a million miles away from Medard’s. I’m slightly inclined away from armoricanus as the markings don’t seem quite strong enough on both the forewing and hindwing, and both wings makes a stronger case than if we were just talking about one wing.

Some Pyrgus are reasonably clear-cut, some on the balance of probabilities, and some fall into the “well, if I had to guess…” category. I think this one is in the latter.

[Padfield]

Alveus is possible, given its incredible variability - though it's interesting that the one you post, Roger, is immediately identifiable as alveus - just like the Swiss ones - while Medard's isn't (I've never seen alveus with those confluent spots in s.1, for example - they are normally discrete). But as I say, I wouldn't like to call this without the local knowledge you have.

Re the Melitaea, I'm not suggesting it is vernetensis, which as you say is endemic to the Pyrenees, or codinae, endemic to Cataluña - only that I suspect light forms are possible in the nominate subspecies as occasional variants or aberrations (I've seen one in Switzerland, without confirmation), just as dark forms occur in the Pyrenees and Cataluña. Given that structurally and in terms of the markings, Medard's insect looked so like nominate diamina, I thought it might be that. But I'm happy to leave that as mere speculation and accept nevadensis as the orthodox answer!

Guy

[Medard]

Leaving Valjouffrey we continued our journey towards Gap making a stop at a disused quarry north of Gap, where I had previously found some interesting species, on this occasion only a Black Satyr. Satyrus actaea greeted me

, avoiding Gap by a steep narrow back road we reached Guillestre and commenced the climb to the Col de Vars, last year bikers by the hundred, a Red Ferrari decided my half of the road was his to use, cyclists, masochist all, other strange wheeled contraptions added to the driving challenge. These were all minor annoyances. I was excited at the prospect of adding Melitaea varia to my wanted list, I parked at a convenient roadside parking space 2019m a little way above the Refuge Napoleon, I wonder how many times he took refuge there ? I walked down to the stream and commenced my search, I am not sure if varia is amongst the photos I shall certainly be pleased if it is but for sure the female Mountain clouded yellow was a prize worth the effort.
A selection of species seen some of which I am in need of help with please.
Skippers and Fritillaries to follow.
We returned to Guilestre and overnight stopped at a woodland site, Camping St James.
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[David M]

Nice work, Jim. Looking forward to the Fritillaries and the Skippers.