Hi folks
It has been a while since I last posted due to being on holiday with the family in Tenerife. In between the normal holiday leisure activities and family responsibilities I'd managed to find a bit of time to try and discover what butterflies and other wildlife were present on this island, and latterly on La Gomera. I was somewhat disappointed with the numbers which perhaps I unrealistically expected to be higher. Nevertheless I did manage to photo six species, confirm another four and see a further three 'possibles'. Additionally there were other wierd and wonderful creatures to make all the forays worthwhile
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
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Our first week was spent at the Club Marina Resort on the Costa de Silencio not far from Reina Sofia airport. Immediately on arrival I witnessed a Danaid butterfly from our apartment balcony come 'lolloping' past the swimming pool. It was too far away to ID as Monarch or Plain tiger
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
, and it's sighting was to give me false optimism on what was to come.
The Club Resort is situated on a rocky coast nr. Las Galletas
![pic 01 rocky coastline.jpg (62.07 KiB) Viewed 930 times cliffs nr the resort](./files/thumb_10062_60d1612ab8fbb3573071bd4055966ccb)
- cliffs nr the resort
The land around the resort was parched, and largely made up of lava debris, pumice boulders gravel and ash. Only cacti and a few other drought resistant plants were growing in these conditions. Around human habitation things were a litttle lusher as plants would be watered regularly by their owners. I explored the arid hills and came across the odd grasshopper and a few darter Dragonflies.
![pic 02 Cacti.jpg (169.43 KiB) Viewed 930 times cacti on the lava fields](./files/thumb_10062_ded3454fd2f825bf0f479cf713a75fa4)
- cacti on the lava fields
![pic 03 flower spike.jpg (157.95 KiB) Viewed 930 times Flower in the 'desert'](./files/thumb_10062_8e048972f84ef427049744787f1b49f9)
- Flower in the 'desert'
![pic 04 grasshopper.jpg (159.87 KiB) Viewed 930 times superbly camouflaged Grasshopper](./files/thumb_10062_a767af313a518145f04b5d13df8465cc)
- superbly camouflaged Grasshopper
On returning closer to habitation I got my first butterfly, a Bath White
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
. The insect was twitchy and wary of my approach but I was able to get reasonably close for the open wing shot
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
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![pic 05 Bath White open.jpg (317.65 KiB) Viewed 930 times Open wing Bath White (female?)](./files/thumb_10062_fb421807ab4b9d9d7d15bf15148888d1)
- Open wing Bath White (female?)
Later on I made more progress when another settled on succulents and nectared on some yellow flowers blooming on dead-looking bushes
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
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(Bath Whites turned out to be moderately common at elevations from sea level to 1000 ft.)
Close to the butterfly was a Wasp Spider Argiope Bruennichi which presented its underside and shortly after dispatched a hoverfly that had got caught in its web.
![pic 10 spider underside.jpg (198.93 KiB) Viewed 930 times Spider about to take hoverfly](./files/thumb_10062_56f28cfef9046042dcf86aa48b47fa03)
- Spider about to take hoverfly
![pic 11 spider upperside.jpg (195.07 KiB) Viewed 930 times More typical view of Wasp spider](./files/thumb_10062_3d352447f58ff2c0e014ae8bef862195)
- More typical view of Wasp spider
On returning back to the resort I explored the hotel gardens and came across some little 'zippy' butterflies which were Geranium Bronze
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
. Considered a pest of pelargoniums the species initially came from South Africa by accidental introduction into the balearic islands in the 90's (I saw plenty in Southern Spain in 2007), and it has continued to spread over the meditterannean area.
![pic 12 Geranium Bronze underwing.jpg (193.72 KiB) Viewed 930 times Geranium Bronze on Lantana flower](./files/thumb_10062_1c9edec289f6ce36c1c878776dc2d497)
- Geranium Bronze on Lantana flower
![pic 15 Geranium Bronze underside 2.jpg (218.01 KiB) Viewed 930 times Another example of Geranium Bronze](./files/thumb_10062_ed5fd473f44a400f7b7b1f83a65b8ef2)
- Another example of Geranium Bronze
![pic 16 Geranium Bronze pair.jpg (210.88 KiB) Viewed 930 times Courting pair](./files/thumb_10062_f8b404d7b63ccd81e6453e35f86dce15)
- Courting pair
Other insects to feed/hide among the lantana flowers was this elusive day flying moth (can anyone ID?) and a fast flying (speed of a hoverfly) striped bee
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
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![pic 17 Moth.jpg (121.57 KiB) Viewed 930 times Can anyone I.D?](./files/thumb_10062_fd9263b4a78496c333851272cb6b90ce)
- Can anyone I.D?
![pic 18 striped bee.jpg (110.66 KiB) Viewed 930 times Striped Bee](./files/thumb_10062_f68e6015e8f6e9bf0e5243cef946d55b)
- Striped Bee
My daughters were not interested in seeing butterflies, in fact it was difficult to try and drag them away from the pool
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
. However, I did manage to persuade my youngest Isabella to come down to the rocky shore to observe the local lizards. As we sat, watched and waited, the lizards became bolder and bolder with one actually coming onto Izzy's hand. Later another indivdual came up licked my finger and followed this up with a bite
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
. This happeaned a few times. It wasn't painful (Izzy later described it as a 'chicken peck' but it did startle and confuse us .... are these wild lizards really tame
![Surprised :o](./images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif)
? Then it dawned
![Idea :idea:](./images/smilies/icon_idea.gif)
. We'd been eating dry-cured ham for lunch, hadn't washed our hands and the lizards could smell food! Watching their behaviour and pecking order was interesting and entertaining as squabbles broke out between the dominant males and the subordinates leading to audible squeals!
![pic 19 Lizard on Izzy.jpg (263.91 KiB) Viewed 930 times Male Galotia galoti lizard on Izzy's hand](./files/thumb_10062_26764d0303379d0e120ac7e1d57fd1a2)
- Male Galotia galoti lizard on Izzy's hand
![pic 20 lizard gums.jpg (103.07 KiB) Viewed 930 times About to sink his gums into my finger](./files/thumb_10062_a8def0a685f4af6bfab0e8643e87d2e2)
- About to sink his gums into my finger
![pic 21 lizard female.jpg (186.93 KiB) Viewed 930 times Female lizard](./files/thumb_10062_918a5cef604d37561c21ffbdebd2d9bf)
- Female lizard
![pic 22 lizard male.jpg (298.89 KiB) Viewed 930 times Male lizard](./files/thumb_10062_bf0265a64f74e8cf61fa06f8af6ee40b)
- Male lizard
Finally just a word of note: if you are squeamish about 'big bugs', bear in mind that the commonest large insect on the island is the American Cockroach.
![pic 23 cockroach.jpg (454.48 KiB) Viewed 930 times Periplaneta americana: Out for the night](./files/thumb_10062_fed211b65b2ec257073b835b8acc87ff)
- Periplaneta americana: Out for the night
I was told that the authorities periodically pump insectide down the drains which flushes them out in their thousands. I didn't get the pleasure to witness that spectacle but I did see many insect-spray partially paralized individuals on the pavements, lying on their backs, legs a-kicking being finished off by ants. Felt sorry for them really
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
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End of part 1