Padfield

[David M]

What a magnificent specimen, Guy (and the images ain't pad for an i-phone).

This butterfly is firmly on my top ten 'most wanted' list. It really is an amazing combination of metallic colours.

[Padfield]

the trains weren't running

What? In Switzerland

What was very unusual, Mike, was that I had checked the train times on the internet before setting off. Normally even delays or platform changes are marked there.

This butterfly is firmly on my top ten 'most wanted' list. It really is an amazing combination of metallic colours.

It's also a quite unnecessarily rare butterfly in most of Europe. Most butterfly-watchers go for exotic trips in March and April, to shake off the winter blues, and summer trips in July and August - but it's well worth considering a May/June trip one year to see this lovely little creature.

Guy

[Reverdin]

What an absolute beauty Guy.... at a new site.... that must be really excellent.... can you still expect them to turn up in suitable habitat then, or was it a really staggering find? - brilliant whatever!!

[Padfield]

Thanks, Doc!

Today's find was in the same complex of sites as my other local sightings and certainly belongs to the same overall population. I'm sure there are plenty more local pockets of this charming Lycaenid waiting for me to discover them.

In answer to your question, I think violet coppers do wander - I've seen at least two some distance from suitable habitat - and within a region where they are present you can reasonably expect them to establish themsleves wherever the habitat is suitable. They have rather narrow tastes, though, so there are very local hotspots with barren areas between!

This year, with the great difference in conditions from the top to the bottom of the site, I could still be seeing helle well into July.

Guy

[Ian Pratt]

Wonderful shots-they remind me of when my wife and I were high up in the Cevennes watching purple-shot coppers. Superb!

[Padfield]

Thanks, Ian. Yes - purple-shot coppers are fantastic creatures too. I haven't seen any yet this year.

It was sunny this afternoon so I headed back up the mountain, armed with the camera this time - only to see no violet coppers at all. Apart from a slight wind, conditions were perfect, and beautifully warm, but nothing flew. I climbed from yesterday's site up to my highest sites, where a couple of green hairstreaks and a few small tortoiseshells were on the wing, but no coppers anywhere. Clearly, I was very lucky indeed yesterday and they are not generally flying yet.

After feeding the cat and grabbing a beer I set off again, this time down to my woods. It was evening flight time (i.e., about 17h00) and a few things were on the wing. A female pearl-bordered fritillary was laying on tiny violet leaves and this male was drinking deep while she worked. Maybe he was the lucky dad:



I tried to set up a woodland backdrop for him but there was nothing I could do about the tall grasses:



Provençal short-tailed blues were flying and this pair of little blues was relaxing in the cool of a grassy edge:



I came home via Bertie betulae's site but there was no sign of him. On the way I disturbed some puddling Chapman's blues, who quickly came back to ground. I tried to photograph this fantastically fresh male so as to bring out the androconial patch. A lot of people get hung up about cell spots and wonder whether they have icarinus or Chapman's but the truth is that one good view of the upperside is definitive:



The paler, hairy patch in the discal area of the forewing is characteristic and unmistakeable. It is even visible in faded specimens from the right angle, and only from the right angle - which is why careful observation is worth so much more than a photo!

Here is the same individual showing the underside:



He is paler than many.

Finally, here are two pairs of males having a chinwag at minerals in the last of the sun:



The pair on the right have clearly been around rather longer than the pristine individual I showed above.

Guy

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Guy But more importantly - which beer did you grab?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

I'm afraid it wasn’t a Badger, Wurzel.

Finally the season is waking up. Today was a 40-species day, which would be preposterous in the UK but is business-as-usual in the Alps. It began with a search for Nickerl's fritillary (Melitaea aurelia). This turned out to be very easy - the species must be at its peak right now and was present in good numbers in many meadows. Nickerl's fritillary is an instantly recognisable butterfly (except where it overlaps with Assman's) because of its small size, overall dark appearance and above all its childish flight! None of the mature glides and twists of other fritillaries!





At the same site were Glanville fritillaries and heath fritillaries, showing off their turns, and a small number of spotted fritillaries. New for the year for me were black veined whites, Apollos and safflower skippers - these last being out in good numbers.


(Black-veined white)


(Safflower skipper)

Green hairstreaks, Dukes, orange tips, brimstones and commas were still flying and peacocks were actually common (though this is a site where they always fly late). A few grizzled skippers were on the wing, as well as plenty of dingies and locally a lot of red-underwing skippers, and the blues put in an excellent showing, with common, Chapman's, Amanda's, Adonis, turquoise, Provençal short-tailed, green-underside and little blue all in evidence. I didn't take many photos because this is a meadow site and I don't like to trample - better just to observe from a respectable distance!

Here is a Berger's pale clouded yellow. I was very pleased with the composition of this picture, with the yellow flowers in the foreground and the background reaching right through to the snow-capped Alps:



For the browns, small heath, speckled wood and wall were all on the wing, and there were small whites, wood whites and green-veined whites all over the place. The first few Apollos were flapping clumsily over the verges and meadows.

I could easily have spent all day there but I had another Melitaea to find, at another site, and storms were forecast for later in the day. So, down the hill, along the valley and off to pastures new.

The sun was hazy but hot at the next site and despite the wind it didn't take too long to find a pristine male Provençal fritillary, subspecies berisalii. Here he is, taking minerals on the track:



In the wind, he was not willing to show his upperside so I offered him something tastier than mud - sweat - and he readily accepted. I then moved across the meadow to a sheltered spot where he could both sun himself and eat:





It is not unusual to find a Camberwell beauty in June. It is unusual, I think, to find three keen territorial males on a track, behaving as if it were April! Here's the first one, who had a thing about tall posts and enjoyed looking down on me:


(That picture was taken with my arms held high above my head, from a couple of metres away)

Another was defending his patch from vantage points on large leaves and came to the ground quite often. This is him:



All were geriatrics - at least 10 months old by now - but none were prepared to admit it!

In total, I saw at least four and possibly five, with the last two being seen after the storm had begun so I didn't see where they were holding fort.

I saw no Zephyr blues and no southern white admirals - both regulars at that site. Nor were there any ilex hairstreaks, marbled skippers or purple-shot coppers. Given the weather, I could easily have missed some of these, but essentially the story is that it's a very late year. De Prunner's ringlets were still drifting around and this green hairstreak looks in peak condition!



Here is a scarce swallowtail enjoying the mud:


(It's a little unfortunate that it looks as if he's left something behind him)

Other species at the second site and not already mentioned were large skipper, Bath white, red admiral and Queen of Spain.

A few more piccies:


(Setina ramosa - a lovely little alpine footman related to the dew moth)


(Northern brown argus)


(A beautifully pale Queen of Spain)


(The approaching storm, that spoiled everyone's fun from about 14h30)

Guy

[Pauline]

Great photos Guy and some really impressive backgrounds. Nothing to match it here imo.

[Padfield]

Thanks, Pauline! Not every butterfly presents itself so I can catch a good background but I always look for the opportunity - and I've sort of got myself a name for doing 'context' shots now, so I have to try!

I do appreciate all the people who drop into my diary and leave comments. I don't leave that many comments in others' diaries but I read them all with great enjoyment and admiration.

Guy

[David M]

How do you do it, Guy?

Intoxicating stuff.

And here was I actually feeling SORRY for you the other day.

Default mode now reinstated.

[Pete Eeles]

The Black-veined White and Pale/Berger's shots are just stunning. Keep up the good work, sir!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

And here was me thinking that I'd had a good day with 13 species I love the Safflower Skipper - simply gorgeous.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Ian Pratt]

Some outstanding photos especially the violet copper taken with your phone. I love the clouded yellow and the beautiful footman moth. Ian

[Padfield]

Thank you, all. Yesterday was a much needed opportunity for our butterflies to perform. Today the weather returned to type for 2013 - fog, rain, cold ... On the upside, I got a lie-in.

Guy

[Maximus]

Wonderful photos Guy, the Safflower Skipper and Bergers Pale Clouded Yellow are superb!!
Mike

[Padfield]

Thank you, Mike. Safflower skippers are striking creatures in the flesh - about twice the size of a grizzled skipper and really very conspicuous.

I took a cycle ride to a relatively local site after school finished today. The weather is rather good now and there were beautiful views across to one of my favourite panoramas:



If I ever leave Switzerland, that range of mountains will haunt me.

There was little flying: Adonis blue, common blue, speckled wood, wall, small heath, swallowtail and various whites - plus, my first meadow browns of the year. It's interesting that although many species are three or more weeks late, these meadow browns seem to have appeared at more or less the usual time for the site.




(Male Adonis blue)


(Female Adonis blue)

After half an hour at the site I headed back home. Just what was needed after a day teaching.

Guy

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Guy,

On a dark and rainy evening here your diary is just the tonic to lift the spirits....jealous as hell but an excellent read

That landscape shot is spectacular.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Padfield]

Thanks Neil - I'm glad to bring in a little brightness!

At the same time the UK is forecast to move into four weeks of grim weather we are finally enjoying some warmth. Fingers crossed it will hold till the weekend, when I can try for chestnut heaths in the Jura - a butterfly I've not yet seen in Switzerland (though I have seen it in the French Jura). Given the cold spring I think it will be too early for large heaths but today's meadow browns were encouraging.

Guy

[David M]

At the same time the UK is forecast to move into four weeks of grim weather...

Where has this information come from, Guy?

Forecasters here can't be relied upon for more than 5 days, and the one thing they simply WON'T commit to (after the 'barbecue summer' fiasco of 2011) is any concrete prediction of fine weather.

Evidence of that is the recent 12 day warm, sunny bonanza we've just enjoyed. At no point until three days prior to it starting was there any indication it was on its way. Even when they predicted it, it was done in a tentative manner with no mention of it being a potentially prolonged spell.