I took this photo last week in the French Alps on the way back for a brief return trip to the UK. It struck me how the three male southern small whites (pieris mannii) were almost perfectly in line and keeping a respectful distance behind his majesty, the magnificent swallowtail, as they were all puddling (taking moisture and salts from the damp mud). It’s almost as if they were the courtiers waiting at the royal throne!
There’s also a black veined white (aporia crataegi) or two in the shot. They are incredibly common in the French Alps, usually between 1000 and 1500m altitude, and large numbers congregate at favoured puddling places.
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- Roger Gibbons
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- Dave McCormick
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Thats an excellent shot. Cool. I love swallowtails and its cool to see this sort of thing in warmer climates.
Cheers all,
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My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro