Greenwings: Montes Universales, Spain, 30 July - 5 August 2020

[selbypaul]

Iberian Sooty Copper

If fabressei is rather plain, then Iberian Sooty Copper, lycaena bleusi is the polar opposite.

Two years ago when we first did this trip, it was still classed as a subspecies of tityrus. We didn't see any that year but by the time we saw a handful in 2019 it had been afforded species status, and quite rightly in my opinion, as it is so different to the nominate form as to be virtually unrecognisable.

At least half a dozen seen this time round....like most Coppers, they never turn up in great numbers, but that only enhances the experience when you finally find one:

1.Bleusiups(1).jpg

1.Bleusiuns(1).jpg

This species was absolutely my favourite of the holiday in 2019, here is my best of the many I took

Iberian Sooty Copper - Greenwings Monte Universales 2019

[John Vergo]

Yes David, it is really a beauty here is one from this year

[David M]

Yes, guys, it's a proper little jewel. I had to do a second take when I saw my first in 2019. I wasn't expecting it to be so dazzlingly iridescent.

[David M]

Spanish Chestnut Heath

Like bleusi, this is another butterfly that looks entirely different to its nominative form, glycerion.

The iphioides form more resembles Russian Heath than Chestnut Heath, and I wonder how long it will be before, like bleusi, it is acknowledged as a separate species.

There are plenty of them about in the grassier sites dotted around the region, probably into the hundreds in the best areas, and it's a butterfly that poses nicely when nectaring, which they seem to do far more regularly than the other Heaths:

[David M]

Black Satyr

This species only crops up in a couple of locations, each of them being dry, arid, rocky territory.

They seem to have a pre-disposition for white scabious and on the rare occasions they start nectaring in earnest they can be quite approachable. Most of the rest of the time though, they're racing around without stopping, making them a tricky species to study:

[David M]

Esper's Marbled White

It's hard to know how common (or rare) this species is in the region, simply because it's similar cousin, Iberian Marbled White, is so ridiculously numerous in these parts.

Every year so far we've found half a dozen plus, but most of the time, unless an individual is nicely settled (which doesn't happen too often with this genus) it doesn't seem worth the time to pursue a butterfly on the 2% chance it might be russiae.

[David M]

Oriental Meadow Brown

Just as with Esper's Marbled White, Oriental Meadow Brown goes under the radar too as a result of the large numbers of the similar Dusky Meadow Brown that fly with it.

The monochrome, well-scalloped hindwings give it away:

[petesmith]

Spanish Chestnut Heath

The iphioides form more resembles Russian Heath than Chestnut Heath, and I wonder how long it will be before, like bleusi, it is acknowledged as a separate species.

David, I await the day that the taxonomists classify it as a species in its own right. It is a gem of a butterfly!

[Roger Gibbons]

This is extracted from my glycerion page, which throws a little more light on this topic:

There is a very similar species of perhaps indeterminate taxonomical status, the Spanish Heath (C. iphioides) which flies in northern Spain and does not occur in France. In H&R it is classified as a separate species although in the later T&L it is classified as a subspecies of glycerion.

There is also some uncertainty relating to the taxonomic status of the populations that occur on the French side of the Pyrénées (see 38647 below); on the glycerion page of the Lepinet web site (www.lepinet.fr) it states (and my translation may not be totally accurate): "The status of the French populations of the eastern Pyrénées was the subject of a recent study (Mazel & De Gregorio, 2015) suggesting that these populations constitute a third taxon to be considered a separate species: C. pseudoamyntas (Sagarra 1930) of hybrid origin. The study found that all populations of the French Pyrénées could therefore be considered as pseudoamyntas while iphioides would be considered to be restricted to the Iberian Peninsula."

And here is an image from the Pyrénées-Orientales (France):

[selbypaul]

Esper's Marbled White

It's hard to know how common (or rare) this species is in the region, simply because it's similar cousin, Iberian Marbled White, is so ridiculously numerous in these parts.

Every year so far we've found half a dozen plus, but most of the time, unless an individual is nicely settled (which doesn't happen too often with this genus) it doesn't seem worth the time to pursue a butterfly on the 2% chance it might be russiae.

1.Russiae(1).jpg

Totally agree David. In 2019 I spent a good chunk of the first four days of the holiday checking all the melanargia until I finally found my first (and only) Esper's Marbled White of the week. I'm not sure I ever fully got my eye in for the differences!

[selbypaul]

This is extracted from my glycerion page, which throws a little more light on this topic:

There is a very similar species of perhaps indeterminate taxonomical status, the Spanish Heath (C. iphioides) which flies in northern Spain and does not occur in France. In H&R it is classified as a separate species although in the later T&L it is classified as a subspecies of glycerion.

There is also some uncertainty relating to the taxonomic status of the populations that occur on the French side of the Pyrénées (see 38647 below); on the glycerion page of the Lepinet web site (www.lepinet.fr) it states (and my translation may not be totally accurate): "The status of the French populations of the eastern Pyrénées was the subject of a recent study (Mazel & De Gregorio, 2015) suggesting that these populations constitute a third taxon to be considered a separate species: C. pseudoamyntas (Sagarra 1930) of hybrid origin. The study found that all populations of the French Pyrénées could therefore be considered as pseudoamyntas while iphioides would be considered to be restricted to the Iberian Peninsula."

And here is an image from the Pyrénées-Orientales (France):Coenonympha glycerion_38647W.JPG

That's interesting Roger. I'd not seen such a clear and concise potential explanation as yours here.

[David M]

..Totally agree David. In 2019 I spent a good chunk of the first four days of the holiday checking all the melanargia until I finally found my first (and only) Esper's Marbled White of the week. I'm not sure I ever fully got my eye in for the differences!

It took me two years to get the 'knack', Paul. It's the angular black line running through the forewing basal area I look for.

[David M]

.."The status of the French populations of the eastern Pyrénées was the subject of a recent study (Mazel & De Gregorio, 2015) suggesting that these populations constitute a third taxon to be considered a separate species: C. pseudoamyntas (Sagarra 1930) of hybrid origin. The study found that all populations of the French Pyrénées could therefore be considered as pseudoamyntas while iphioides would be considered to be restricted to the Iberian Peninsula."

That's an interesting summary, Roger. Your image looks like something in between the Alpine form and the Iberian one. I've never seen glycerion in the Pyrenees as I'm never there in summer but it's definitely much different to the ones flying round the Mercantour/Alpes de Haute Provence.

[David M]

Tree Grayling

This trip is something of a Grayling-fest, but it's interesting to see how numbers fluctuate each year. In 2018, Rock Graylings were easily the commonest; last year it was Great Banded Grayling.

This year, whilst Tree Graylings were not the most numerous amongst this group, there were nevertheless far, far more of them than I've ever seen before:

[David M]

Striped Grayling

I find this to be the most attractive of the Graylings, and they were fairly easy to locate on this trip, although it's rare to see more than two or three in any one area:

[David M]

Rock Grayling

This is an exceedingly common species in the Montes Universales region. Each time we visit we see thousands, which means I don't generally pay them a great deal of attention.

This year however, I noticed a male and a female in a shaded area interacting, and managed to get an image where the female is showing the uppersides, which doesn't happen very often:

[David M]

Great Banded Grayling

Once again, this species was around in staggering numbers; certainly well into the thousands.

This individual was behaving very strangely, it was unable to fly properly and a couple of times I picked it up to see if it was alright. When it dropped off my hand it went into the grass with its wings open, which is unusual. Perhaps it was one of those rare butterflies that has completed its full life cycle and dies of natural causes rather than disease or predation:

This kind of scene was fairly common, where butterflies of different species were nectaring in close proximity:

[David M]

False Grayling

This species is undoubtedly the finest poseur amongst this group. They aren't abundant, but they're common enough and will occasionally open their wings for short periods when at rest, although I haven't yet been able to capture them doing this on camera.

Like Rock Graylings, they will happily settle on homo sapiens, but most of the time they're preoccupied with thistles:

[selbypaul]

Great Banded Grayling

Once again, this species was around in staggering numbers; certainly well into the thousands.

This individual was behaving very strangely, it was unable to fly properly and a couple of times I picked it up to see if it was alright. When it dropped off my hand it went into the grass with its wings open, which is unusual. Perhaps it was one of those rare butterflies that has completed its full life cycle and dies of natural causes rather than disease or predation:

1.Circe(1).jpg

This kind of scene was fairly common, where butterflies of different species were nectaring in close proximity:

1.3x(1).jpg

The sheer number of these butterflies on the 2019 trip was quite incredible. I've seen them in Greece, Croatia, and the Spanish Pyrenees, but only in ones and twos. To see hundreds in a single meadow was very special.

[David M]

...The sheer number of these butterflies on the 2019 trip was quite incredible. I've seen them in Greece, Croatia, and the Spanish Pyrenees, but only in ones and twos. To see hundreds in a single meadow was very special.

Yes, Paul, it's quite some spectacle. There are probably more Azure Chalkhill Blues at that site, but because Great Banded Graylings are such huge butterflies it makes their immense numbers seem even greater.

Most of them are in excellent condition too, which just adds to the joy.