It turned out to be a good Erebia day. At lower altitudes euryale and ligea dominated, followed by oeme as I began to climb. A little after that, pharte appeared, though oeme remained common. Then, as I climbed still higher, gorge suddenly became prevalent. I think there were also epiphron there, but it was the gorge that interested me, because I don't often get good chances to watch it. Here is a picture which I think sums up this high-altitude butterfly:
It is a very variable species. Here are two quite different individuals:
(Showing where its vernacular name, 'silky ringlet', comes from)
And an underside:
Above gorge, pandrose was dominant.
What of nivalis?
I didn't see any on the way up, and above 2600m found myself in grassless glacial moraine (though lots of flowers grew bravely in the rubble). As the sun had gone in I continued climbing to get the views from higher up, and then on the way down stopped at various places I had noted as being likely spots for nivalis. At the second of these, there it was!! Lifer!!
I only caught and photographed one, though I saw perhaps 4 or 5, in a very localised region. Then the sun went in, the temperature plummeted and the Erebia dropped into the grass, so I left them alone, not wanting to trample over them.
Here are some views of the one I photographed:
(taken with flash, in the shade, after I let him out of his observation box)
(also taken with flash, in the shade)
(warming up again, after release)
(almost ready for lift-off again...)
(the habitat)
He had no idea what he meant to me!
Other species seen on the walk included: mountain clouded yellow, Berger's pale clouded yellow, mountain green-veined white, Eros blue, glandon blue, alpine argus, pearl-bordered fritillary, false heath fritillary, marsh fritillary, Cynthia's fritillary, mountain fritillary, ringlet, large wall and alpine heath. I didn't log or even identify everything as I was focusing on Erebia, and in particular on a small Erebia with a lustrous, silver-blue hindwing!
(Cynthia's frit)
(alpine argus showing the classic underside)
(alpine argus upperside - it is an unmistakable shade of blue)
(bright-eyed ringlet)
(the scene above 2800m - not a lot of point in going on!)
(a view on the way up)
(not the most auspicious day)
Guy
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