Rochetaillee, Val d’Isere, Rhone Alpes, France – June 2011

[Lee Hurrell]

Thursday 23rd June – Troyes to Greenford

No new butterfly sightings today but added Rook and Grey Heron to the birds seen.

We arrived home in the evening tired and wired from the journey, but happy for having had such a lovely holiday, and not just for the butterflies.

[Lee Hurrell]

Finally, many thanks once again to Guy and all those who helped with IDs and to Roger Gibbons for location suggestions.

A few facts and figures:

Miles driven, door to door - 1699
Butterfly species seen - 86 (Roger suggested I would see 60-80)
Those new to me - 42

Here's the final species list:

1) Large White
2) Small White
3) Green Veined White
4) Holly Blue
5) Meadow Brown
6) Peacock
7) Weaver’s Fritillary
Small Tortoiseshell (it seems 8 and a bracket makes 'cool'. I can live with that)
9) Small Heath
10) Lesser Purple Emperor
11) Speckled Wood (ssp aegeria)
12) Common Blue
13) Scarce Copper
14) Ringlet
15) Pearly Heath
16) Marbled White
17) Large Wall
18) Dark Green Fritillary
19) Marbled Fritillary
20) Large Skipper
21) Black Veined White
22) False Heath Fritillary
23) Chapman’s Blue
24) White Admiral
25) High Brown Fritillary
26) Clouded Yellow
27) Comma
28) Small Skipper
29) Essex Skipper
30) Southern Small White
31) Heath Fritillary
32) Lesser Marbled Fritillary
33) Purple Shot Copper
34) Small Blue
35) Brimstone
36) Berger’s Clouded Yellow
37) Orange Tip
38) Mazarine Blue
39) Amanda’s Blue
40) Apollo
41) Large Blue
42) Silver Washed Fritillary
43) Khapweed Fritillary
44) Meadow Fritillary
45) Spotted Fritillary
46) Wood White / Real’s Wood White
47) Tufted Marbled Skipper
48) Carline Skipper
49) Southern White Admiral
50) Marbled Skipper
51) Grizzled Skipper
52) Dingy Skipper
53) Silver Studded Blue
54) Pearl Bordered Fritillary
55) Arran Brown
56) Titania’s Fritillary
57) Piedmont Ringlet
58) Queen of Spain Fritillary
59) Wall
60) Northern Wall
61) Asian Fritillary
62) Large Tortoiseshell
63) Provencal Short-Tailed Blue
64) Chalkhill Blue
65) Geranium Argus
66) Adonis Blue
67) Purple Hairstreak
68) Meleager’s Blue
69) Painted Lady
70) Purple Edged Copper
71) Northern Brown Argus
72) Safflower Skipper
73) Red Underwing Skipper
74) Large Grizzled Skipper
75) Swallowtail
76) Red Admiral
77) Great Sooty Satyr
78) Brown Argus
79) Green Underside Blue
80) Reverdin’s Blue
81) Damon Blue
82) Great Banded Grayling
83) Idas Blue
84) Mallow Skipper
85) Lulworth Skipper
86) Small Copper

Until next (this) year

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Lee,

Some more lovely photos, and well done for showing/pointing out the eye size of the
mating Small Skippers.

Nick.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Lee,

Just to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your reports and taking in the atmosphere generated by your pictures. I'm really glad you included pictures of the locations you visited as this really drew me in to your reports.

Great stuff ...

Kind regards. Mark

[David M]

Until next (this) year

Tremendous stuff, Lee. Leaving it till winter makes it all the more mouth-watering.

Where are you going in 2012?

[Vince Massimo]

That's an absolutly epic report Lee. Totally enthralling, highly entertaining and supported by superb images
All credit to you for taking the time to post it.

Vince

[Lee Hurrell]

Thank you all for your lovely comments.

I knew it was going to be a big one with the number of species seen and the sheer quantity of them.

As you know, it wasn't intentional to leave it to winter but it has got me through the dark months! And any day now I expect this season to get underway.

David, we're planning to go to Vallon Pont d'Arc, Ardèche, Rhône-Alpes, although a bit later than last year, the second and third weeks of September. Nothing's booked yet though. At least the report shouldn't be as big, or take as long

Thanks again everyone,

Lee

[David M]

David, we're planning to go to Vallon Pont d'Arc, Ardèche, Rhône-Alpes, although a bit later than last year, the second and third weeks of September.

Sounds great. Hopefully you'll get to see a few different species by leaving it a bit later.

[Lee Hurrell]

Hope so, David.

Best wishes,

Lee

[Lee Hurrell]

By breaking the above list of species down into families, I found another 2 I'd missed off for some reason, Comma and Grizzled Skipper. I've edited this above, and here is the list again, split into family groups.

In addition, there were at least 2 further unidentified Erebia Ringlets and one or two species of Hairstreak that I didn't see closely enough to ID.

Black Veined White
Large White
Small White
Southern Small White
Green Veined White
Orange Tip
Wood White / Real’s Wood White
Brimstone
Clouded Yellow
Berger’s Clouded Yellow

Large Skipper
Small Skipper
Essex Skipper
Lulworth Skipper
Grizzled Skipper
Large Grizzled Skipper
Carline Skipper
Safflower Skipper
Red Underwing Skipper
Tufted Marbled Skipper
Marbled Skipper
Mallow Skipper
Dingy Skipper

Holly Blue
Common Blue
Chapman’s Blue
Damon Blue
Small Blue
Mazarine Blue
Amanda’s Blue
Green Underside Blue
Large Blue
Silver Studded Blue
Reverdin’s Blue
Idas Blue
Provencal Short-Tailed Blue
Chalkhill Blue
Adonis Blue
Meleager’s Blue
Geranium Argus
Brown Argus
Northern Brown Argus

Scarce Copper
Purple Shot Copper
Purple Edged Copper
Small Copper

Purple Hairstreak

Meadow Brown
Small Heath
Pearly Heath
Marbled White
Ringlet
Arran Brown
Piedmont Ringlet
Speckled Wood (ssp aegeria)
Wall
Large Wall
Northern Wall
Great Sooty Satyr
Great Banded Grayling

Peacock
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell
Large Tortoiseshell
White Admiral
Southern White Admiral
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Lesser Purple Emperor

Dark Green Fritillary
High Brown Fritillary
Silver Washed Fritillary
Marbled Fritillary
Lesser Marbled Fritillary
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Weaver’s Fritillary
Pearl Bordered Fritillary
Heath Fritillary
False Heath Fritillary
Khapweed Fritillary
Meadow Fritillary
Spotted Fritillary
Titania’s Fritillary
Asian Fritillary

Apollo
Swallowtail

[ChrisC]

what a list. as much as i like butterflies i struggle witht the few we have in the UK let alone that lot

[David M]

That list of Skippers alone is worthy of mention.