What's flying in Marseilles 2015

[Chris Jackson]

Saturday 4th April - South of France

First Orange Tip sighting of 2015

[Chris Jackson]

Saturday 4th April - South of France

First Orange Tip sighting of 2015 :

On the wing - barely perceptible in the centre of this photo :

A cropped view :

The context (local scrubland park):

That makes about 22 species so far
Cheers, Chris

[Charles Nicol]

Joyeuses Pâques mon ami !

Thank you for the lovely pics. So far i have seen 2 Brimstones and 1 Small Tortoiseshell

I expect the Orange Tips will be out this week.

Charles

[Chris Jackson]

Joyeuses Pâques to you as well, Charles. Its warming up now in Blighty, so you should be spotting more species soon

Monday 06 April - South of France - Lo of 6°C, Hi of 16°C
Flying today: Green Hairstreak, Cleopatra, Holly Blue, Nettle-tree BF, Red Admiral, Specklies, Orange Tip

Holly Blue:

Nettle-tree BF (2 individuals):

Context - this budding oak tree was attracting these individuals, but I couldn't tell if they were females, laying:

Female Cleopatra:

Orange Tip:

This plant, below, Biscutella laevigata, is one of the LHP of the Provence Orange Tip. The seed pods (the larval food) are starting to develop so they should attract the first butterflies within a week now:

Cheers, Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Thursday 09 April - South of France - Lo of 7°C, Hi of 17°C - Cool breeze

Flying at lunchtime today in the scrub up on the plateau of Vitrolles: Baton Blue, Green Hairstreak, Wall Brown, Scarce Swallowtail, Swallowtail, Western D White, Small White, Bath White.

Baton Blue (2 photos of the same individual):
This is when the swivel screen on the FZ150 comes into play:

Cloudie female (gave me a good run-around ):

Rock rose:

Yesterday down in the olive grove where it is much lusher:
Small Copper

Wall

A small critter on Grape Hyacinth

Context

Cheers, Chris

[Charles Nicol]

great pics !!

i especially liked the Clouded Yellow... the Linford Christies of Butterfly Chasing

[Chris Jackson]

Hi there Charles.

14th April, Vitrolles, South of France - at least 24°C, little wind

Today, 1st sighting of Glanville Fritillary this year, down in the Olive Grove.
This individual was very fresh and having a hard time:

This one was more relaxed:

This one was on its LHP:

Friday 10th, first sighting of Provence Orange Tip this year, here a male (they will just not settle for a photo early in their flight period):

1st Mallow skipper last Friday:

And another Baton Blue from this week, on the plateau of Vitrolles, willing to pose:

Garlic Mustard, in Parc of St Pons, Gemenos, LHP waiting for Orange Tip females to arrive:

Wood White seen but no photo
My tally so far this year is 26 species.
The next species to appear in the order of things should be Spotted Fritillary, or a Festoon if I'm really lucky .
Cheers, Chris

[Charles Nicol]

very nice pics ! the weather is starting to warm up here... should reach 20º today. good luck with La Proserpine

http://www.fleetingwonders.com/zerynthia-rumina.php

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Charles - tell you about Festoons later

Friday 17th April - South of France - 21°C

The cloud cover broke just in time for my lunchtime stroll.

Up on the plateau of Vitrolles, I managed a decent upperside shot of a female Lang's Short-tailed blue:

And a not-so-decent underside shot:

Nearby, I saw presumably two male Baton Blues contending for a female:

One gave up and scarpered:

Leaving the couple alone:

Context of the scrub on the plateau of Vitrolles:

Tassle Hyacinth in flower:

Cheers, Chris

[CFB]

Lovely Baton Blues, Chris. One of my favourite butterflies.
--
Colin

[Charles Nicol]

lovely pics of Blues cj

do any of the local French people look for butterflies ?

we had a French market in Huntingdon aujourd'hui... i bought some savon.

[Chris Jackson]

... do any of the local French people look for butterflies ? ...

Hi Charles ,
I have not yet encountered a French butterfly enthusiast amongst the common people in France, but I live in hope .
There are some university researchers who, for different reasons, take a side-line interest in butterflies. One example is a town planning lecturer in Marseilles, studying the effect of urbanization on insect populations, and studying how to get butterflies to re-integrate an urban environment. I offered my aid in doing inventory work in the field, but was pooh-poohed, I think, for being a simple citoyen (and probably for being middle-aged and a foreigner to boot (not to mention being a Ginger)).
Many Brits. consider butterfly spotting as a scientific and ecological hobby, however not all French think that butterflying is a virile occupation, so, please excuse me for choking on my escargots and foie gras. However, France is a great place for gastronomes. They have an excellent selection of wines and cheeses , and as I raise my glass of Château Piquette to you, Charles, I wish you a good week ahead, good butterflying and, à bientôt.
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

South of France, 19th April - rather unstable weather this weekend.
Mild, windy, rainy - April showers indeed.

The following species were flying this weekend:
Western Dappled White (attracted by Buckler's mustard - Biscutella laevigata):

Green-veined White:

Painted Lady - random down here, throughout the year:

Orange Tip female I think (correct me if I'm wrong), although quite worn already considering it is only the start of the flight period

Mallow Skipper

Cheers, Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Tuesday 21st April - South of France - 22°C and blue skies

Today during my lunchbreak I counted 12 species on the wing.

First sighting for me this year, in the Bouches du Rhone, of the Common Blue (even earlier than last year) (3 plus males - no females) :

I had already spotted my first Glanville Frit last week:
I saw 2 today:

The Small Copper has been around for some weeks now, but here were two in cop :

Context - the Olive Grove behind our offices:

The Spotted Fritillary is running late this year.
Cheers, Chris

[CFB]

Hello Chris,

Your Small Coppers seem to be on the same sort of Euphorbia as mine were a week or so ago.

I'm still waiting for Glanville Fritillaries and Common Blues.
--
Colin

[Charles Nicol]

... do any of the local French people look for butterflies ? ...

Hi Charles ,
I have not yet encountered a French butterfly enthusiast amongst the common people in France, but I live in hope .
There are some university researchers who, for different reasons, take a side-line interest in butterflies. One example is a town planning lecturer in Marseilles, studying the effect of urbanization on insect populations, and studying how to get butterflies to re-integrate an urban environment. I offered my aid in doing inventory work in the field, but was pooh-poohed, I think, for being a simple citoyen (and probably for being middle-aged and a foreigner to boot (not to mention being a Ginger)).
Many Brits. consider butterfly spotting as a scientific and ecological hobby, however not all French think that butterflying is a virile occupation, so, please excuse me for choking on my escargots and foie gras. However, France is a great place for gastronomes. They have an excellent selection of wines and cheeses , and as I raise my glass of Château Piquette to you, Charles, I wish you a good week ahead, good butterflying and, à bientôt.
Chris

ah les gingembres

i certainly concur with the gastronomie !

i enjoyed reading about your expedition to the Var.

Charles

[Chris Jackson]

... Your Small Coppers seem to be on the same sort of Euphorbia as mine were ...

You're right Colin. This variety of Spurge (Euphorbia) is around early in the year. I think the Spurge in our photos above may be Euphorbia serrata. My books put it between April and June. Spurge is tricky because we have at least 5 varieties in the Med.
You MUST be seeing Glanvilles soon.
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

... i enjoyed reading about your expedition to the Var ... Charles

Thanks for your comments Charles. In a couple of months I will be in the Pyrennees, bird spotting and butterfly spotting, I hope, and tasting local delicacies, bien sûr. I still have in mind your "Cassoulet factory" you published last summer, but doubt I will get that far North (upland). However, it has not fallen on deaf ears (pas tombé dans l'oreille d'un sourd).
Chris

[Chris Jackson]

Yesterday, Wednesday 22nd April - Vitrolles, South of France - 21°C high cloud

Today on waste ground near work, there were tens and tens of Glanville Fritillary. Some were going crazy over clumps of thym.
Here is the waste ground:

Glanville Frits:
Male Glanville:

Female Glanville:

Here is the underside of a Lang's Short-tailed Blue (the markings can be variable, not necessarily textbook here):

First sighting this year of a Red-underwing Skipper (on schedule).
This pair was courting (the male is behind and has a "tuffted" abdomen):

Wishing everyone good weather back in the UK.
Cheers, Chris

[Charles Nicol]

lovely pics on the "waste" ground...

the temperature here should reach 17° today