Holiday to Tenerife part 2

[Philzoid]

Getting back to family duties and to keep the kids happy, we took–off for Siam Park a water park which nearly everyone rates as better than Aqualand (but not me) . The hair-raising slides were amazing , but the combination of standing 30 - 40 minutes in long queue’s in the baking sun with wet skin and your factor 50 washing off (you can’t take the sun-block with you) ensured severe sunburn soreness by the end of the day . I would’ve much preferred to stick on a T-shirt and explore the gardens for wildlife but didn’t get much chance to do so (Sharon preferred me to stay with the kids and they wanted to go on just about everything). I did get to see one butterfly, a Monarch but it was only a brief glimpse of it as it passed through.

Near vertical slide takes you through an aquarium with sharks and other fish (we bottled out of this one)

The following day was more to my liking as I took Sharon and the girls in a 5-door Clio hire car (surprisingly gutsy and robust considering the climbs it had to endure and the gearbox crunching from missed right-hand changes) to Las Canadas del Teide (Teide National Park) . After taking a wrong turn in Granadilla de Abona and being bailed out by a kind local we made our first scheduled stop in Vilaflor which at an elevation of over 4500 feet is the highest village/town in Tenerife .

I stopped on the Calle Castanos by a terraced series of gardens next to a church of San Pedro Apostol. Immediately I could see there were butterflies around in the gardens so while the ladies got an ice cream and sat down out of the sun, I got down to exploring.

Church gardens

well above the clouds

Terraced gardens with water features and church

The gardens were a little gold mine . Immediately evident was the species I’d been seeking from the start: the Long-tailed Blue (Lapides boeticus) . They were moving very quickly and burying themselves among flame like flowers of the lotus vines and were alert to any movement, which due to the numbers meant they were constantly setting each other off.

Long-tailed Blue on Lotus berthelotii (Lotus Vine)

Also evident were a few Canary Blues (Cyclyrius webbianus), a mating pair of Small Whites (Pieris rapae); a Bath White and a fast flying Clouded Yellow which had no intention of stopping .

Canary Blue (female)

Canary blue ovipositing?

Glad to come to a stop I hadn’t paid much attention to where I’d parked and my butterfly heaven came to an abrupt end as my eldest daughter Francesca yelled out to me that a policeman was by the car writing out a ticket . Despite the elevation it was the fastest 100m sprint I’d ever done . Somehow my pleading got through to the fierce looking copper who couldn’t speak much English (reminded me of Tuco from the Good the Bad and the Ugly) and I was relieved to be allowed to move on . As it was around lunchtime we ignored the car-park the policeman had pointed out to us and we piled into La Paz café restaurant by the TF-21. My relief was short –lived as the copper turned up (he’s following me ). Thankfully my paranoia was unfounded as he was just turning up for his (free) lunch . However, just in case I was spotted I used it as an excuse to nip off and explore the gardens around the café and souvenir shops. It turned out worth-while move as I was able to get another Small Copper; Canary Blue and my first Geranium Bronze for the day.

So 5 days into the holiday and seven species photographed:- African Grass Blue; Bath White; Geranium Bronze; Small White; Small Copper; Long-tailed Blue and Canary Blue with Monarch and Clouded Yellow sighted

Phil

[Chris Jackson]

Interesting views Phil.
With your trip report, this is the first time I've seen pictures of an African Grass Blue and a Canary Blue.
Thanks,
Chris

[Philzoid]

Interesting views Phil.

I take it you mean the scenic ones

this is the first time I've seen pictures of an African Grass Blue and a Canary Blue.

More or these little beauties to follow Also some more scenic views too.

Phil

[NickMorgan]

Interesting to read your report Phil. Not surprisingly you have seen many of the same species I saw in July 2013!
We also visited Siam Park and I was really disappointed not to see more butterflies. I think I saw one Monarch and one Large White fly past. I suspect that they probably spray the place with insencticide to keep the ants and cockroaches down and that is enough to put off any butterflies.
I really loved the north coast finding various walks with plenty of butterflies. The best being a walk in the Anaga area.

[Philzoid]

Thanks Nick
The gardens in Siam Park are well tended so it wouldn't surprise me if insecticide is put down . At Aqualand (some say poor relation to Siam) I did notice some aphid damage to the plants and I did see Monarchs (passing through) and an neat little 'wasp/bee' I've yet to identify ... but I suspect they spray there too, perhaps not so often .
For me, my holidays to Tenerife are tied to family breaks and school holidays (not to mention the cost). It's also tied to our time share (Club-La Costa) whose resorts are all based in the South. For butterflies the optimum time is I think, around February/March and as you say to the North of the island but I doubt i'll ever get to go there before the kids have grown up . The infrequency of my visits and the diversity of what's there to see still make it worthwhile though .

Phil

[Wurzel]

More great stuff Philzoid - especially the Canary Blue ovipositing and the LT Blue deep in the flower feeding Looking forward to the next installment and the Social tomorrow

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Philzoid]

The social was very enjoyable as always .

Next enstallment out now (in case you haven't noticed)

Phil