Pete Eeles

[Padfield]

The Spanish festoon egg on the right is a wonder to behold, Pete! Those fern designs … There’s nothing like that on the caterpillar, or at least not on the instars I’ve seen.

Guy

[Wurzel]

A stunning array of species there Pete I'm with Guy that Festoon egg is absolutely awesome

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks chaps - I have to thank Max for diligently following a few females while we worked out the foodplant - which were really very small on a sun-drenched hillside! The chevrons seen within the egg are, I think, simply the hairs that are found on the first instar larva - here's a photos of one that Max managed to capture: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GLnMEgYXoAA ... =4096x4096

You see something similar in the Swallowtail and Duke of Burgundy, for example!

Swallowtail

Duke of Burgundy

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

June 19th - 26th - Italian Alps

My most recent trip, with Ben Greenaway, was to the Italian Alps - this was our 3rd trip to the area; we've seen a normal year, an advanced year and, this year, an absolutely bonkers year that was well behind 'normal'. The weather also wasn't the best, although we did make the most of things by focusing not just on adult butterflies, but also immature stages (more on that in another post), ecology, larval food plants etc. Some images below.

Southern Swallowtail

Southern Swallowtail

Southern Swallowtail

Almond-eyed Ringlet

Apollo

Blue Spot Hairstreak

Puddling blues, Southern Grizzled Skipper and Geranium Argus

Black-veined White

Clouded Apollo

Geranium Argus - on Geranium!

Heath Fritillary

Large Blue

Large Blue

Pearly Heath

Purple-edged Copper

Purple-shot Copper

Rock Grayling

Scarce Fritillary

Turquoise Blue

Weaver's Fritillary

Fire Salamander (thanks Ben!)

Forester moth

A beetle needing ID

Ditto!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

Hi Pete. For your beetles, try Gaurotes virginea and Oreina cacaliae. There are several species of Oreina in my books, but this looks the best, and can be blue or green.

Wonderful alexanor piccies!!

Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Guy - much appreciated! The colour contrast of the male/female beetles was absolutely stunning - a photo doesn't really do them justice!

Yes, alexanor was really playing ball that particular day, and all thanks to Ben for finding this site in the first place!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

There are some right corkers in there Pete The Southern Swallowtail and the Purple-shot Copper would have to battle it out for top-spot in my opinion

Have a goodun

Wurzel