Renowned for its green mountains, beautiful beaches and azure blue waters of the Ionian Sea it ticked all the right boxes for my wife, and if she’s happy then so am I.
We stayed in the south of the island in the small fishing village of Katelios which was very pleasant and quiet. We also hired a car for a few days to explore more of the island including visiting the capitol Argostoli to see the Loggerhead Turtles that frequent the harbour there.
Butterflies are not especially at a premium on Kefalonia but it did afford me the opportunity to get out and about in some Mediterranean sun and explore the local patch in the hope of connecting with a few lifers.
In the end I managed to find 30 species of butterfly of which 12 were lifers.( 11 of which I managed to photo, only failing on a couple of flyby Two-tailed Pashas).
After arriving, a quick unpack and off for an exploration of the fields and tracks adjacent to the hotel. This short walk produced large numbers of Clouded Yellows, including my first helice, but by far the most common butterfly was Meadow Brown. Small Copper also buzzed along the tracks along with a couple of Small Whites.
- Field opposite the hotel
- Track opposite the hotel
- Clouded Yellow Helice
- Meadow Brown
- Meadow Brown
At about 10am the morning had become sufficiently warm for butterflies to become active, and my first lifer was found, Eastern Dappled White. More species were duly noted including the omnipresent Meadow Browns and Clouded Yellows. A Painted Lady made an appearance and also Bath White and Wood White amongst others.
After a very enjoyable few hours it was back to the hotel for a shower, a quick change and off in the car to Skala for lunch.
- Hillside habitat
- Hillside habitat
- Eastern Dappled White
- Eastern Dappled White
- Painted Lady
- Wood White
- Wood White
- Clouded Yellow
By far the most exciting being a stunning Black-veined White which was high on my wanted list prior to the trip. Absolutely gorgeous butterfly. I also encountered Cleopatras, Scarce Swallowtail, four species of Skipper, Chapman’s and Green Underside Blue, both lifers, Wall Brown and later in the week, Green Hairstreaks.
- Black-veined White
- Black-veined White
- Chapman's Blue
- Male Cleopatra
- Female Cleopatra
- Male Cleopatra
- Orbed Red Underwing Skipper
- Orbed Red Underwing Skipper
Deciding to take the car further up into hills above Skala proved fruitful with one found immediately on parking up.
- Southern White Admiral
- Southern White Admiral
- Southern White Admiral
- Eastern Rock Grayling
- Eastern Rock Grayling
- Scarce Swallowtail
- Scarce Swallowtail
- Mallow Skipper
Regards Steve
Species List:
Scarce Swallowtail
Swallowtail
Lulworth Skipper
Mallow Skipper
Orbed Red Underwing Skipper (Lifer)
Pigmy Skipper (Lifer)
Mediterranean Skipper (Lifer)
Clouded Yellow
Brimstone
Cleopatra (Lifer)
Wood White
Bath White
Eastern Dappled White (Lifer)
Large White
Small White
Black-veined White (Lifer)
Small Copper
Green Hairstreak
Chapman’s Blue (Lifer)
Common Blue
Green Underside Blue (Lifer)
Holly Blue
Brown Argus
Two-tailed Pasha (Lifer)
Painted Lady
Southern White Admiral (Lifer)
Wall Brown
Eastern Rock Grayling (Lifer)
Small Heath
Meadow Brown
