Tippling butterflies

[Padfield]

Wandering through the vineyards of the Rhône Valley today I smelt the distinct odour of fermentation. It turned out I was passing great piles of discarded grapes and vine branches:





And feeding on the grapes were large numbers of tree graylings:


(the one on the left looks particularly sloshed)



I don't know if the alcohol attracted them, but they certainly enjoyed the treat.

Elsewhere, tree graylings were gathering at minerals in even greater numbers:



In fact, it was a remarkable day for tree graylings and I saw more than I've ever seen before. Here is one nectaring with a brown argus:



Common or garden British graylings were flying as well, though not in anything like the numbers I see in Suffolk:



Plenty of blues are still flying here, including Adonis blues...



... and even chalk-hill blues:



And yellows are numerous too. This female helice took off just as I clicked the shutter, giving me a rare glimpse of helice ups:



Painted ladies and red admirals still flying, but the only fritillary on the wing today was Queen of Spain:



Guy

[Pete Eeles]

That must have been an incredible sight - thanks for sharing, Guy!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Dave McCormick]

I agree with Pete, must have been quite a slight. Like the tree grayling pic there, ust have been nice to see so many of them. I like the Adonis blue shot too.

[Denise]

I already have the 'lack of butterfly' blues!
Your photo's have brightened my day Guy.
Thanks for sharing this incredible find.

Denise

[Padfield]

I know what you mean, Denise!

I didn't expect to see anything special when I set out this morning (yesterday morning, now) so I was really happy to find things to write home about.

Guy

[Chris Pickford]

Talking of graylings, one for the experts........

Seen flying round a wood at very high speed (July) in the Besancon area. After 10 mins or so of flying display, it flew at a tree stump at high speed and then disappeared, but was in fact disguised against the wood bark. Is it a Woodland Grayling, or...? It was extremely large.

Chris

[Padfield]

That's a great banded grayling (Brintesia circe), Chris. The giveaway on the underside is the white costal mark towards the base of the hindwing, which is missing in woodland grayling:


(woodland grayling)


(great banded grayling)

Great banded graylings are large and conspicuously black on the upperside with a strong white band. They are one of the commonest false alerts when hunting poplar admirals (!), even though the flight pattern is quite different (admirals fly on flat wings, like stealth bombers, while graylings hold the wings in a more or less deep V shape).

Guy

[Zonda]

Guy said,

(the one on the left looks particularly sloshed)

I knew it,,, i knew it, there is a fair bit of Grayling in me.

[Padfield]

I've posted this one several times before, but for once it does seem peculiarly appropriate:



This is a lesser woodland grayling, Hipparchia genava (formerly known as rock grayling, Hipparchia alcyone), guzzling cheap German export lager. The grayling group does seem to have a fondness for alcohol but unlike Zonda (presumably) they don't show much discrimination.

Guy

[Matsukaze]

a lesser woodland grayling, Hipparchia genava (formerly known as rock grayling, Hipparchia alcyone), guzzling cheap German export lager. The grayling group does seem to have a fondness for alcohol

Did the drink cause it to forget its name and typical habitat?

Must remember to take some cheap lager along next time I go looking for graylings...

[Zonda]

Guy said

The grayling group does seem to have a fondness for alcohol but unlike Zonda (presumably) they don't show much discrimination.

Gosh there's more Grayling in me than first supposed.......Great pic,,, could be me on a Saturday night,,,it all fits,, even the one false eye.