Austrian (Tyrolean) Alps, July 2013

[David M]

I finally reached my destination (Alpbach, near Innsbruck) two days later than anticipated due to missing my original flight on 17th July by two minutes. Lesson learned: never fly from Gatwick again; it's a real bind to get to from the west of the country.

The weather had been decidedly 'iffy' during the days I missed, and indeed it was raining slightly when I arrived at Brixlegg to catch the bus to my final destination, Alpbach. So, in hindsight I may not have suffered too greatly from a butterflying perspective; it was just the additional £250 cost of rebooking the flight and airport parking, etc.

Thankfully, when I awoke the following morning and walked onto my verandah, this was the view awaiting me:



The Wiedersbergerhorn mountain is 2,125m high, and can be ascended via a gondola lift which takes 10 minutes or so. I duly walked the 2 miles to the lift station and was up at 1850m by 9.15am. Here is the view looking back down towards Alpbach:



Although I fancy my chances with the majority of non-UK species seen, I'd very much welcome anybody's comments regarding any of them, as there were a few which puzzled me slightly (mostly pyrgus as per usual.)

Interject at will!!

[JKT]

It should be interesting to compare species as we were quite close for the same time frame. I was in Mallnitz (Carinthia) 16.-20.7.

Incidentally, your earlier posts about this vacation and Guy's mention of claudina in the thread triggered my vacation.

[David M]

It should be interesting to compare species as we were quite close for the same time frame. I was in Mallnitz (Carinthia) 16.-20.7.

I think you were somewhat higher, JKT. I only got up to about 2100m and encountered no snow whatsoever. Having said that, whenever I looked towards the 3000m+ peaks to the south, they seemed to be permanently shrouded in cloud. Although I'd love to explore these places, I dare not risk it with only a few days to get away each year. I think eventually I'll hire a car and just go wherever the sun is shining, be that 1000m or 2800m.

I noticed you saw erebia claudina. That must have been tremendously satisfying as it is only found in a small part of Austria and nowhere else. What's more, as erebia go, it's pretty straightforward to identify.

[JKT]

You are right - when I finally had a picture with the white spots on the upper side I almost yelled. I had the spots on the underside earlier, but wasn't quite sure if others had something similar.

As to height ... you are right about that as well. I'll put some comments to the general thread about Mallnitz. The first two days were wonderful - no clouds at any height. Latter days had clouds generating at the peaks so only the early morning was fully clear at high altitude.

[David M]

By the time I got to the upper station on Wiedersbergerhorn, it was still early and barely T-shirt weather (sunny but only about 13c). The terrain was moorland-like and quite springy underfoot, and the temperatures ensured that the first erebia I encountered was reasonably easy to track and photograph.

Blind Ringlet - erebia pharte



They were numerous at this altitude; certainly high dozens seen.





There were a fair few Heath Fritillaries up here buzzing about, and I confess to never having seen False Heath before. However, unless there's some major aberration going on, surely this has to be:

False Heath Fritillary - melitaea diamina



This species was less numerous than athalia but was nonetheless fairly common.

[JKT]

Interesting. I didn't see a single suspected pharte. Either they were even more active than claudina or they don't co-exist.

That pristine Melitae is rather late for diamina. I wonder ... especially as I was looking more for aurelia.

[Padfield]

Lovely shots of pharte, David! I don't know if JKT is suggesting those diamina might be something else, but I'm sure they are diamina. The species is still looking fresh here in Switzerland even as low as 1200m.

Guy

[JKT]

Not really suggesting anything, just surprised. I can't tell them apart anyway. I recall seeing the species in June and at higher altitude and the books seem to suggest that their flight period should be pretty much over. That much for books, I guess.

Edit: Ah! Bivoltine in lower altitudes. I didn't put that tidbit in my combination file as I was more interested in higher ones.

[David M]

I was sufficiently sure of diamina to include it in the title (though things will change as I continue...)

The next butterfly was one I hadn't seen before. It occurred in fair numbers but I only saw it above 1700m or so:

Alpine Heath - coenonympha gardetta





Easily the most common lycaenid up here was the following:

Mazarine Blue - cyaniris semiargus



They were seen on the paths and rocks as often as the plants:



The next species is a pyrgus seen at about 1700m. It was quite sizeable for the genus and I've had time to study the image and I'm 60% confident (famous last words) that it is:

Large Grizzled Skipper - pyrgus alveus



Pleasant surprise next. I'd assumed I was seeing Mountain Clouded Yellow (which I saw in the Pyrenees last year), but when one finally settled I realised it was:

Moorland Clouded Yellow - colias palaeno



Next one was the darker, alpine form of:

Sooty Copper - lycaena tityrus subalpinus



As is usual with Coppers, they were spread thinly but cropped up fairly regularly.

[JKT]

These species were common in Mallnitz as well. For me the palaeno was a let-down as it is local in Finland. I was hoping for phicomone, but none showed up. The number of blues was surprisingly low.

[Padfield]

I'll raise your 60% on alveus to 95%, David!

I don't like to go higher than 95% when I haven't seen the underside or viewed the actual butterfly myself ...

Guy

[David M]

I'll raise your 60% on alveus to 95%, David!

Nice to get one right for a change!

There were two large species of erebia on the Wiedersbergerhorn, one of which pretty much became the signature butterfly of my visit:

Arran Brown - erebia ligea



They were generally quite frisky, but they calmed down a bit whilst mineral puddling - here's one accompanied by a Mountain Ringlet (epiphron)



They'd turn up at quite low altitude too, certainly below 1000m, and they were constant companions along the shady downhill tracks:



I soon realised that there was another large erebia that was a different species:

Large Ringlet - erebia euryale:



This species was most partial to circling sweaty human beings and occasionally alighting upon them:



I actually thing ligea is slightly larger, so the English name is rather a misnomer:

[David M]

After some deliberation, I'm coming to the conclusion that my puddling 'epiphron' in the previous post may not be all it seems. Here's a wider angle view of the goings-on at the mineral spa:



Euryale is to the left, ligea is central and diamina is the Fritillary.

The smaller erebia that is face-on to the camera also gave me an open-wing shot some minutes later:



I do have an underside shot of this butterfly too (albeit not at a great angle):



I simply assumed this was one of many Mountain Ringlets up on Wiedersbergerhorn, but whilst visiting Sonnwendjoch three days later there were numerous small erebia flying up there too:





The latter was noticeably smaller than the former and a look at the undersides also shows subtle differences. Feel free to advise me if you can - I'm pretty sure the smaller species is epiphron now, but that would leave me with question marks over the identity of the larger butterfly. There ARE four orange underside markings on the larger species whereas what I believe to be epiphron is practically a uniform dusky brown with no noticeable orange at all. The forewing markings are, on reflection, different too.

Any ideas?

[Padfield]

The smaller erebia that is face-on to the camera also gave me an open-wing shot some minutes later:



I do have an underside shot of this butterfly too (albeit not at a great angle):

This has to be melampus, if the distributions in the books are correct. I say that because in fact it shows characteristics of sudetica, a species not recorded from Austria. In Swiss populations, 80% of sudetica and just 1% of melampus have the tiny spot in the foremost red blotch in the forewing band. Yours has this spot on the left wing. My comment is pretty irrelevant, as no one is going to accept sudetica for a new country without a dead butterfly's sexy bits to prove it, but I thought I'd mention it!

So melampus!

Guy

[David M]

This has to be melampus, if the distributions in the books are correct. I say that because in fact it shows characteristics of sudetica, a species not recorded from Austria. In Swiss populations, 80% of sudetica and just 1% of melampus have the tiny spot in the foremost red blotch in the forewing band. Yours has this spot on the left wing. My comment is pretty irrelevant, as no one is going to accept sudetica for a new country without a dead butterfly's sexy bits to prove it, but I thought I'd mention it!

So melampus!

That's interesting, Guy. Many thanks.

I see from comparing the two in my guides that melampus appears slightly larger than the Central Alps form of epiphron, which would certainly add further grounds for your suggestion being correct.

One thing's for sure, these are two different species, though it took me some while to establish that from looking at my images.

This erebia business is challenging, but fun too!

[David M]

Whenever I've been abroad, I seem to bump into tatty Large Wall Brown males such as this one:



During a cloudy spell at about 1650m on Wiedersbergerhorn, something very striking perched on a rock caught my eye:

Large Wall Brown - lasiommata maera



What a delightful insect he was!

My other Wiedersbergerhorn pyrgus is a little more problematic:

Olive Skipper? - pyrgus serratulae



The nearest match vis-à-vis the upperwing spots is male Olive Skipper, but I accept it could be a more washed-out Large Grizzled Skipper. He was found at about 1700m and this is the only shot I got.

I'd spent 7 hours up the mountain between 1550 and 1950m, so I elected to take the lift back down and return to walk all the way from summit to base the following day.

[Padfield]

Lovely maera - but it's a she, not a he!!

In the absence of an underside shot, I agree serratulae is probably the best bet for the Pyrgus.

Guy

[David M]

Lovely maera - but it's a she, not a he!!

In the absence of an underside shot, I agree serratulae is probably the best bet for the Pyrgus.

Thanks again, Guy.

I always thought female maera was the paler one, like the individual I photographed last year in the Pyrenees:

[Padfield]

I always thought female maera was the paler one, like the individual I photographed last year in the Pyrenees...

But the male has a sex brand, like British walls:



Yours is certainly female - but very dark, like the Scandinavian ones. I have never seen petropolitana without visible transverse lines on the hindwing so I think it really is maera, but of an upland form.

Guy

[David M]

I see what you mean now, Guy.

I wish I lived in a location where I could spend my routine leisure hours studying higher altitude butterflies. Sadly, that avenue of pleasure is restricted to one week per year and I have to go through torture to obtain it!!