Last of the summer wine... oh gawd

[Padfield]

Beautiful... It is indeed false heath, and that's a purple-edged copper in the meadow, as I'm sure you knew.

Guy

[Padfield]

Here's a big edit on my previous post, written last night just before going to bed.

That Erebia was really confusing me, because it clearly isn't oeme (white antennal tips - always black in oeme) and just doesn't look like manto. I now think it is a late, weakly marked, male medusa. This species is early lower down, and I'd pretty much forgotten about it, but I've seen it flying into July at altitude and we were over 1800m just there. The white antennal tips are perfect for medusa and all the other markings match, though they are weak.

I wouldn't mark it down as a triptych yet, but suddenly it does seem to make sense. I wonder if anyone else had any photos of medusa?

Guy

[NickB]

I have one or two poor shots of Erebia so I will try to sort some decent views out, Guy...
I suspect this may indeed be a nice, but humble, SSB!; I don't have a matching underside....

Definitely not Mountain or Alcon or Alpine Blue, or at least I would humbly suggest! (But I hope I AM wrong!)

[Padfield]

It looks a lot like eros to me, Nick. Which day did you take it, and how high?

Guy

[NickB]

It looks a lot like eros to me, Nick. Which day did you take it, and how high?
Guy

8th July - the second day, on the way down the road to the tunnels, from seeing cynthia, as they were all settling down - or at least I think so, will check.....I was going on the dark band on the hind-wing, but the colour is a little different to my SSBs at home...
N

[Padfield]

I would say it is most certainly eros then. In flight, this blue has a very characteristic silvery bright, but pale appearance. Here is one I photographed on the last day, near the rebeli:



Guy

[NickB]

Thanks, Guy...nice pic
N

Silver Studded Blue, Westleton, Suffolk 21_06_2010

Above is an SSB I took in June for comparison...

[Paul]

Definitely white antenal tips.... I had some photos of "medusa" from previous hols, but may have to re-label them oeme now
old photo.. labelled medusa..


Here are my eros shots from this holiday..





and my Damon Blue pics... was really pleased to finally see these, but frutratingly, all my uns. pics had the body hidden didn't notice at the time...




and finally, a Chalkhill Blue..

[Rogerdodge]

but frutratingly, all my uns. pics had the body hidden didn't notice at the time...

Paul
This is the individual that had the damaged wing (fortunatly on the other side) posing, and obligingly showing his body off!

[Paul]

Yep, that's a beauty isn't it.

[Padfield]

Isn't that a classic butterfly? And a great picture, Roger.

I normally get my first Damon blues on return from Spain, and they signal that the season has reached and passed its peak...

KC spent all day at the vet's today, mostly under anaesthetic, and is now wandering around the house like a zombie cat, doped up on drugs, antibiotics and cortisone. It is, of course, because of him that I haven't gone south, but the Pyrenees will still be there next year.

Where was that previous 'medusa' taken, Paul, and when? It certainly does look like oeme, but they are both extremely variable. This is medusa from beneath, showing very pale antennae - in this case buff rather than white:



That one is from about 1300m, in May. I've seen them at 2500m in late July, but like all Erebia they differ from mountain to mountain!

Guy

[Paul]

Best I can remember it was approx 1000m at Giffre.... and it does have "buffy" antennae underneath, sorry, will leave it as medusa for now. Sorry about KC, hope he makes it through this well and is soon clawing on all cylinders


one final worthwhile photo... Grison's Fritillary on an orchid..

[NickB]

but frutratingly, all my uns. pics had the body hidden didn't notice at the time...

Paul
This is the individual that had the damaged wing (fortunatly on the other side) posing, and obligingly showing his body off!

Indeed....the same one again....from its "best" side...

and the last of my trip species, Northern Brown Argus...

and this final female (? Edit: Thanks Guy) SSB from the last site we visited, where we found the Damon Blue...

[Pete Eeles]

Can you lot stop being so darn pleasant? I've been waiting ages to suggest that this thread should have been named "Last of the summer whine"

Cheers,

- Pete

[NickB]

Can you lot stop being so darn pleasant? I've been waiting ages to suggest that this thread should have been named "Last of the summer whine"

Cheers,

- Pete

Oh just B***** off, Pete

[Pete Eeles]

That's more like it

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

and this final female (?) Blue (no underside...) from the last site we visited, where we found the Damon Blue...

That's a female silver-studded blue, Nick.

Sorry boys (and girls) - I don't do unpleasant!

Guy

[NickB]

I've been waiting ages to suggest that this thread should have been named "Last of the summer whine"
Cheers,
- Pete

We forgot to mention the: "Oh, my......" (perm any one from):
hangover; back; knees; ankles; feet; horse-fly/bug bites; sun-burn; dehydration;

That sort of thing ?

[NickB]

Q_o_S....

Swallowtail again....

(But it was worth all the pain )

[Jack Harrison]

Don’t let Pete get to you chaps! It hasn’t been a whine. I have enjoyed the photos.

However, it would be nice in due course to give some details, including the all-important maps of localities, ease of access, how much hiking/climbing, and so on. It all sounds mouth watering and I would be seriously tempted to try something similar. But I suspect a lot of what you did would have been beyond my physical capabilities. So what might I be able to see with less ambitious aims?

Jack