La Brenne - September

[chris JP]

I am off for a few weeks in mid-September to an area in Central france near to Loches and the brenne National Park.

Any hints on specific places to visit eg floral chateau gardens, and species I might expect to find that late in the year?

Chris

[wavelea1]

Chris - (and Guy P if you're around).

Just returned from nearly two weeks in La Brenne - and despite the weather's best attempt to subdue butterfly sightings we had a great time. Obviously this was June and I can't be specific as to the species that you might see in September but I know a man that can.

At just four or five sites we recorded about 40 species. This included many of the usual suspects but some highlights were
Southern White Admiral, Wood White, Black-veined White, Large Chequered Skipper, Pearly Heath, Woodland Brown, Great Banded Grayling, Lesser Purple Emperor, Short-tailed Blue, Ilex Hairstreak, Heath Fritillary, Marbled Fritillary, Weaver's Fritillary, Queen of Spain Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Silver-washed Fritillary and possibly the Niobe Fritillary but I'm hoping Guy and others will be able to identify some of the attached pics????

If you go to La Maison de la Nature de la Reserve on Monday from 10.00 and ask for Tony Williams he will identify the sites and species - his help and knowledge is invaluable.

We approached one site to the east of La Brenne, near the crossroads of the D11/D21 that Tony had identified, and it was dull and overcast - there was nothing flying but we sat and had lunch and the sun appeared along with literally hundreds of butterflies - this was a tad upsetting as it is too many to deal with and I am confident that we missed some. Watch out for tics though - go prepared!

There is much else to see as well. I'm confident you'll have a great time. Where are you staying?

Mike

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Mike,

Not a Brown Argus but I can't say for sure what - but the European experts will confirm, hopefully.

Your Fritillary is a male Dark Green.

Cheers

Lee

[wavelea1]

Thanks Lee

I was thrown by the complete lack of green on the underside of the wing of the Fritillary. I'm pleased the other is not an Argus. There were Baton Blue around but most in poor condition - this one wouldn't open it's wings....

Mike

[Paul Wetton]

That brown looking Blue has a cell spot. Actually two and fairly well defined spotting on the underwing. I wonder if it is an Adonis Blue with the outer margins of the wings worn away removing the chequered effect from the wings. Any ideas Guy?

[wavelea1]

Paul et al

There were a few Adonis around - many thanks.

Take a look at the Fritillaries and give me your thoughts guys - it's much appreciated.

I've added the Large Chequered Skipper - just 'cos it's a beaut.

Thanks

Mike

[David M]

Thanks Lee

I was thrown by the complete lack of green on the underside of the wing of the Fritillary.

I too was surprised at the lack of green on the underside of French DGFs when I was in Florac a couple of weeks ago. The High Browns weren't as darkly marked underneath either.

[chris JP]

To answer my own question, species spotted were the following:-

Clouded Yellow (large numbers including a few helice)
Wall
Red Ad/ Peacock/Small Tort/Comma
Speckled Wood/Small Heath
Common Blue/Holly B
Adonis B/Chapmans B
Small Copper
Weavers (Violet) Frit
Brown Argus
Safflower Skipper (not 100% sure, but have some pics)
Whites in huge numbers
HB Hawk.
Plus some amazing grasshoppers!

Chris

[Padfield]

Sorry - I completely missed out on this thread earlier. I always enter the site via 'new posts' but if I don't get time to look at them all they stop signalling themselves as new posts by the time I next look. I think I missed a lot this summer!!

All the ID questions seem to have been ironed out but the thread as a whole brings back wonderful memories for me. As a schoolboy I visited the Brenne with a friend, staying at Anscebon. We borrowed bicycles and spent a tremendous week watching birds (my first ever night herons, great reed warbler &c.) and butterflies. It was in the Brenne that I took a whole reel of 35mm film without realising the film hadn't latched onto the sprocket (that dreadful, sinking feeling when you pull the lever and it clocks up 37..., then 38...). I've replaced all the butterflies I photographed except for one species, alcon blue, which I've never seen at all outside the Brenne (we get mountain alcon blue here in Switzerland).

Maybe I should go back soon.

Guy

[chris JP]

La Brenne is certainly a superb area, with some very nice towns indeed nearby, such as Loches. We have been there many times now and have certainly seen a few Alcon Blues, although my most unusual sighting was a Poplar Admiral in the center of Loches, by the railway station. There was a garden centre on a bridge over the river Cher, and the butterfly appeared to have come up from the riverbank to flowers outside the station!

This is a skipper I tentatively id'd as a Safflower Skipper - any more expert id? The "jizz" was weird; it flitted in and out of woodland glades and was very difficult to follow, with rather lethargic flight. I saw 8 - 10 of these, but was only able to get a pic when I spotted one ovipositing on a meadow plant (wasn't the textbook foodplant for a Safflower Skip though.....).

Chris