www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Guy,
You have just whetted my appetite, I know AINSA very well having stayed and passed through there quite a few times over the years(in my younger walking days, I never noticed butterflies then!) it leads through to France or if you go west you can go to the fantastic ORDESA valley( a smaller version of the GRAND CANYON).

Cheers Russ

Off to southern Spain in 17 days - looking forward very much!

Padfield wrote:... I predict Camberwell beauty at one of these sites! Anywhere there is sallow near water they should be on the wing.

...if only...

Thursday 27.3.14
Usual scrub land next to the campsite, overcast and a little windy.
Swallowtail disturbed on the ground, it didn't go too far away allowing a few pics.

Cheers Russ

Thursday 27.3.14 cont'd

Other b/f's seen Large White, Speckled Wood, G H/S and a moth?(anyone know what it is, I haven't brought my book?)

Cheers Russ

Hi Russ. The moth is Itame vincularia. It is principally an Iberian/North African species though it rounds the corner into the South of Fance. Interestingly, my book (Leraut, Moths of Europe, Vol. 2) describes the flight period as May-June and August, so it would seem to be early!

Guy

Good shot of the Swallowtail Russ.
I would like to know what the moth is as well.
I fancy branching out a bit into moths, so I'm going to have to get used to a new learning curve.
If you are still going to the French side of the Pyrenees, it may be a bit "April showers" weather, so don't put your cold weather gear away!
Chris

Thanks Guy for moth ID.
I don't know if it's been a mild winter here in Spain or not, but a lot of b/f's(and moths) seem to be flying earlier than the book says they should be? Remember I saw a Large Tortoiseshell flying in January!

Cheers Russ

Hi Chris, thanks for your comments and I think you should get "into moths" they are just as beautiful as b/f's eg. H/B Hawk-moth,Elephant Hawk-moth etc.

Cheers Russ

Monday 31/3/14. 4pm. Sunny and warm.
Last walk around the local scrub at Alcossebre(off to the Pyrenees tomorrow).
Green H/S flying and defending their territory against all comers, small and large, they'll have a go at a Swallowtail as well as a large white.
I saw my 1st Small Copper here today( I can't believe how many different species I have seen on this little piece of waste land), I only got one shot and then it was off.
There were a couple of Swallowtails gliding effortlessly around me and I managed a better specimen pic than the other day(both tails fully intact).

Cheers Russ

Lovely Swallowtail Russ

Lee

Cheers Lee,

Russ

Tuesday 1/4/14.
BOLTANA, Nr. AINSA, Spainish Pyrenees.

Arrived at a new campsite(ACSI) late afternoon, after 200+ mile drive, sunny and warm(20c). I had a quick walk around the site having seen a few Whites and a Cleopatra flying around but not stopping. I spotted a large b/f fluttering around some mature trees, on investigating it turned out to be a old Large Tortoiseshell(only my 2nd ever, I'm still looking for a good one), then I spotted a Small Copper low on the ground,I got a couple of shots and then my battery went on my camera. .

Cheers Russ

Hi Russ. Those are firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) - closer to shieldbugs than beetles. They are amazing little creatures that seem to spend every waking hour mating or wandering hopefully between mating couples until they find an unattached member of the opposite sex.



Guy

Hello Lee and Guy above

Hi Russ,
Now I'm no expert, but you're not far from my neck of the woods, so ....
1) I bet the "mature trees" you mention are oak trees that have lost last years' leaves (look on the ground for dead oak leaves, Large Tortoiseshells love to hide in dead oak leaves in the undergrowth),
2) You may be looking for fresh LTs, but down here these are hibernators from last year!, and thus a bit faded - c'est normal!. Make the most of it, faded or not - if I understand rightly, many UKBFers back in the UK would give their eye teeth to see a LT !!
Around my way, Red Admirals, Large Tortoiseshells, and Nettle-tree BFs (at least) are hibernators, with pirithous over-wintering this year.
Cheers Chris

Update of my journey the last few days:

I left Boltana(Spain) on Thursday morning, after almost 20 hours of continuous heavy rain, so I didn't get any more time to find any b/f's in the area, which was a shame after such a promising start on arrival on Tuesday afternoon .

I drove through the Bielsa tunnel and came out in France into a couple of inches of wet snow at 0c, I drove very slow down the hair-pin bends and the snow turned into rain after dropping 1000ft in altitude I went over the Col de Aspin 1489m. (which seemed a good idea at the time) and the rain turned back to snow for awhile then back to rain again on the decent.

I arrived at Agos-Vidalos(south of Lourdes) mid-afternoon on Thursday and it didn't stop raining here until Friday noon. We had been in rain for almost 48 hours, which came as a surprise after about 2 hours of rain in 9 weeks in Spain,:roll:

Cheers Russ.

Thanks GUY for the ID on those little bugs.

I've got a couple more questions for you to answer later on.


Cheers Russ.

Hi Chris, I've just received your message, thanks. The trees were probably oak, I didn't notice at the time,(very tidy campsite) I'm now in France just updated my journey.
I will have to wait until later in the year to get a decent L/Tort then?

Cheers Russ

Apparently, according to T&L, the main generation of LTs is late June/August, but I've never seen any - I only see ex-hibernators in Spring.
Chris

LancsRover wrote: I will have to wait until later in the year to get a decent L/Tort then?

Or higher altitude. At 1300m in Switzerland LTs are still looking good into May.

Guy

Friday 4/4/14. 3pm

It had been dry for a couple of hours, so we had a walk along the Gave de Pau(more like a raging river at the moment than a mountain stream!).
The grass was still quite wet at the base, so we were not optimistic of seeing anything, we were just glad to be out of the "van". After walking alongside the "stream" for some 30 minutes I saw a Swallowtail fluttering low in the field some 30 metres away, I got quite close, probably due to the overcast weather and the battering it must have had the last couple of days. First it had it's wings open but it then closed them when the light went a little more dull, I've never seen a Swallowtail so still before and with it's wings closed.
Also when it's wings were open the fore wing was pulled further back than usual (see pic) and the colour was a lot paler than the Swallowtails of late(Spain) is this normal for the PYRENEES or altitude?

Russ