Back from holiday

[Martin]

Hi all....I'm back from a week in Spain.

Took 1933 shots, of which only about 10 aren't butterflies! Had a torrid time with dust on the sensor...I was cleaning it twice a day but it still got on 90% of the shots (call me The Clone Tool Kid! ) I really should do some more processing!

The list of species seen is:-

Clouded Yellow (normal and helice form)
Large White
Small White
Green Striped White
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
African Grass Blue
Common Blue
Brown Argus
Spanish Festoon
Spanish Swallowtail
Spanish Gatekeeper
Southern Gatekeeper
Swallowtail
Speckled Wood
Wall Brown
Meadow Brown
Spanish Marbled White
Lang's Short Tailed Blue
Geranium Bronze
Small Skipper
???? Skipper (awaiting ID)(why do Skippers never look like the ones in books)
False Ilex Hairstreak
Blue Spot Hairstreak.
(That's 24)

Martin.

For reading this far you deserve a treat

Pair of Spanish Festoons

[Dave McCormick]

That must have been nice. Nice pic of the Spanish festoons. One of my favourite. I know what you mean about skippers. Should look same as in a book, but they seldom ever do.

[Padfield]

(why do Skippers never look like the ones in books)

This dusky grizzled skipper (Pyrgus cacaliae), photographed last July, looks pretty similar to its picture in Tolman...



But are you going to post some pics of your unidentified skipper so we can have fun guessing what it is?

Guy

[Martin]

This is the little blighter...





Martin.

[Padfield]

Lovely pics!!

I'd say this is a male marbled skipper, Carcharodus lavatherae. Unfortunately I currently only have rubbish pictures of this species on my own site, so I can't refer you to them (I must update that page), but you will find plenty elsewhere on the web.

It's definitely Carcharodus, and as a rule only lavatherae has this lovely sandy colour. Note also that alceae has very linear markings on the ups, the uns rule out boeticus and the tone and jizz are wrong for flocciferus (which flies in my garden, so I know its jizz well!).

However, since I have been known to be spectacularly wrong on occasion, I would wait for a second opinion...

Guy

[Martin]

Padfield...don't worry about a second opinion as I've just been told Marbled Skipper by Matt Rowlings At European Butterflies. It's good to double check though Thank you for your expert advice...it's very much appreciated.

Martin.