Greece

[Pete Eeles]

Hi all - and apols for being radio silent over the last week or so. I've just returned from a superb week-long trip to northern Greece and will post a few highlights in this thread once I've sorted through the many images (i.e. over 1000 !!!).

Now I know you lot like a teaser - so the photo below shows 4 different Lycaenids on, we believe, bear poo (that had eaten a deer, by the looks of it!). And before anyone asks - yes, this was adjacent to woodland So - let me know your guesses

BTW - the Italy trip report will be published within the next week (it's taken almost a year to write up!). I promise to get the Greece report written up before the end of the year (and, hopefully, a lot sooner!).

Cheers,

- Pete

[Dave McCormick]

Very nice shot Pete, can't wait to see more. Hope you had a good trip!

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Dave - yes, one of the best trips I've ever been on. Yesterday, we saw an incredible 76 species of butterfly (listed below).

Cheers,

- Pete

Adonis Blue
Amanda's Blue
Anomalous Blue
Berger's Clouded Yellow
Black-veined White
Blue Argus
Blue-spot Hairstreak
Brown Argus
Cardinal
Cleopatra
Clouded Apollo
Clouded Yellow
Comma
Common Blue
Dingy Skipper
Duke of Burgundy
Eastern Bath White
Eastern Festoon
Eastern Wood White
Essex Skipper
Glanville Fritillary
Great Banded Grayling
Green Hairstreak
Green-underside Blue
Green-veined White
Grizzled Skipper
Heath Fritillary
Holly Blue
Hungarian Skipper
Idas Blue
Ilex Hairstreak
Iolas Blue
Knapweed Fritillary
Large Skipper
Large Tortoiseshell
Large White
Lattice Brown
Lesser Spotted Fritillary
Little Tiger Blue
Mallow Skipper
Marbled Fritillary
Marbled Skipper
Marbled White
Mazarine Blue
Meadow Brown
Meleager's Blue
Nettle-tree Butterfly
Niobe Fritillary
Orange Tip
Osiris Blue
Painted Lady
Peacock
Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Pearly Heath
Powdered Brimstone
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Red Admiral
Scarce Swallowtail
Silver-studded Blue
Sloe Hairstreak
Small Blue
Small Copper
Small Heath
Small Skipper
Small White
Southern Grayling
Southern Small White
Southern White Admiral
Spotted Fritillary
Swallowtail
Turquoise Blue
Wall Brown
White-letter Hairstreak
Wood White
Woodland Ringlet
Yellow-banded Skipper

[Padfield]

Mmm... Interesting...

For the one on the far right, I'm going for vicrama (Eastern baton), and for the one above it, idas magnagraeca (idas blue).

The other two are causing me problems. The lower one looks perfect for thersites (Chapman's) except for the size - so I'll say that and analyse your response, Pete! The upper one is really difficult, because the upperside doesn't look at all like thersites, nor like escheri, both of which I'm very familiar with. And yet I can't think of what other species it could be. Unless it's icarinus, of course...

So with little confidence, I say:

icarinus
...................idas magnagraeca.........vicrama
thersites

Guy

PS - my record for Switzerland this year is 65 species, also yesterday! So you're up on me there!!

[Paul]

OK Pete, I'll go for it as well ...
agree with Guy on the right hand two ( that's easy for me to say), I think the left two are Chapman's & escher's, but then, they were the ones I thought were easy!!!,(so I'm probably wrong!!)

[Padfield]

For the left two, which do you think is which, Paul? I can't see Escher's in either, and Chapman's only in the lower of the two. But Pete knows, of course, and is laughing...

Guy

[Padfield]

On closer inspection, I think there might even be a hint of a cell spot in the upper left blue, confirming it as icarus (common blue)... The jizz is all icarus.



Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Crikey - I need to look closer myself (and at my other pics!).

Definitely Idas Blue and Eastern Baton Blue.

As for the other two - I thought I had that pretty wrapped up! In the photos I have, the upper-left individual doesn't have the 3rd spot - and neither does the one below it. I'll "fess up" now and say that I believed the upper-left individual to be Chapman's Blue, and the lower-left to be Brown Argus (it had a completely brown upperside with the usual red dots).

Suffice to say - I'll be taking a closer look at the photos I have and will, no doubt, be posting quite a few for ID over the coming days/weeks!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Denise]

It's taken me ages trying to work out possible ID's!
my thoughts were, Chapmans, Brown Argus, Silver-studded and Eastern Baton Blue.

Fantastic list Pete, 76 species in one day
I'm glad you had a great trip and I can't wait to see your photo's and read the trip report.

Cheers
Denise

[Denise]

ps, just seen your latest posting and ...oh yes, Idas have that same blue stud too.
You learn something new every day.

Denise

[Padfield]

Brown argus (Aricia in general) is impossible because of the position of the spots near the costa of the hindwing. The white wedge rules out Plebejus, so you're left with the Agrodiaetus/Polyommatus group, in my opinion (not Plebicula either). Female Chapman's remains a possibility for the lower insect. Female blues are generally smaller than the males. In Switzerland, female Chapman's of the first generation are typically quite blue while those of the second are much browner - but in Greece this may well already be a second generation female. The underside forewing of Chapman's is very smooth - one reason why I didn't think the upper picture was Chapman's, because it is rather grainy.

I'll have to sleep on it! I have little experience in Greece and might be missing something obvious!

It sounds as though you had a great time, Pete - I'm looking forward to the full report...

Guy

[Padfield]

PS - I forgot to mention the way the black spots in the white submarinal markings are surrounded by white in Chapman's, but often touch the orange in common - not a totally reliable feature but part of the jizz. The only thing about the upper one that doesn't look like common blue is the lack of a conspicuously pale leading edge to the forewing - which might simply be a function of the angle of the picture or might be becase it's not a common blue! Chapman's also has a pale leading edge, though not with quite such a bright line right on the edge.

Guy

[Paul]

out of interest and ignorance, I had the top left one as Escher's, & bottom left one as Chapman's... and there I will skulk away and quietly rock in a corner

[Pete Eeles]

A random selection for you - still many many images to process! Not the best of shots I'm sure - but this will give you an idea of what we encountered each day!

Cheers,

- Pete

Silver-washed Fritillary and Friend!

Southern White Admiral in full sheen

Purple-shot Copper

White-letter Hairstreak - we must have seen hundreds - including 6 on one flowerhead at one point!

Mr. Lizard - anyone know the species?

Little Tiger Blue - mating pair

Spurge Hawkmoth larva which were found at many sites. Chris Manley won the competition by finding 2 in 55 seconds!

Scarce Swallowtail ovipositing on Prunus

Blues. Lots of em. At the roadside, which was hotter than the hottest hot thing in hotland.

Clouded Apollo - with sphragus; an excretion from the male that provides a "Papilio chastity belt" :)

[Padfield]

Really wonderful pictures, Pete! I'm resisting the temptation to do the blues (publicly, anyway), but it's interesting to see the icarus in there!

The lizard is Lacerta viridis, the eastern green lizard (I think).

Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Guy.

I'm resisting the temptation to do the blues (publicly, anyway), but it's interesting to see the icarus in there!

Rest assured that I have plenty of shots that need to be ID'd - perhaps we can draw some conclusions once I post a complete set of shots. Although I already owe you several barrels of amber nectar;I gave up counting in terms of pints several years ago

The lizard is Lacerta viridis, the eastern green lizard (I think).

Brilliant. Thx!

Cheers,

- Pete