Padfield

[Padfield]

Thank you for your comments, both.

David, in some years clouded yellows do make it through and there is genetic continuity for some seasons. In other years, notably, those marked by cold Januaries and Februaries, they all die - and there have been years when I haven't seen a clouded yellow at all (in Switzerland) until July. So my impression is that it is a function of temperature - they don't seem to survive when it remains consistently sub-zero for prolonged periods. Obviously, even in mild years it is typically sub-zero at night - usually, every night during the winter - but anything hibernating sufficiently protected from diurnal variation might be able to maintain a relatively constant, tolerable, temperature.

In short, I'm not quite sure of the answer to your question, but most clouded yellows do die. I'm sure of that ...

Guy

[Padfield]

I spent a little more time today at the Papiliorama and found a few species I haven't seen before. It was much more enjoyable now the schools have gone back!

First was a butterfly I have been hoping to see for some time - or at least, one of this genus. This is Myscelia ethusa:



Next, a representative of another genus I have never seen, in the wild or in a butterfly house. This is Hamadryas velutina - one of the 'crackers'. It had just been put out to dry and very soon disappeared under the leaves, where it could let its wings harden in peace:



I watched an autumn longwing, Doleschallia bisaltide, flying around but it settled far out of reach. This was the best I could get of it:



Another new one for me was this amazing Atrophaneura semperi, or 'batwing' (which Tony might see in thte Philippines). Only the male looks quite so striking - the female is more like other species of Atrophaneura/Pachliopta:





Rubish photos, but a brilliant butterfly!

For once, emerald swallowtails (Papilio palinurus) were out in force, and showing their uppersides:





Here are a couple of Papilio lowi mating:



And this is a contextual shot of Heliconius hewitsoni:



ANYWAY, here are the ones I need help with!

First, what looks like Heliconius sp.:



And I have no idea what this Nymphalid is yet:



Any thoughts on those two would be appreciated, so I can add them to my guide!

Guy

EDIT: I am pretty sure the first unknown butterfly, that looks like a Heliconid, is Mechanitis sp., and probably polymnia.

[Jack Harrison]

Guy:

It was much more enjoyable now the schools have gone back!

I take your point but isn't it a school that provides you with the income to be able to visit places like the Papiliorama?

Jack

[Padfield]

Just because I've spent most of my professional life surrounded by schoolchildren it doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional break from them, Jack!

And curiously, it is my not having a job at the moment (you might remember, I voluntarily took a year's unpaid sabbatical, to write a book), that is paying for the trips. I can't affford to go on holiday this year, but instead bought an annual rail pass, so have unlimited travel in Switzerland. Couple that with the CHF 50 season ticket for the Papiliorama and it means my office can become the 11h20 to Bern once in a while!

Obviously, the real justification for places like the Papiliorama is educational and if it weren't crawling with children occasionally it would be very sad!

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Don't bother with trivial people like me. CARRY ON WRITING THAT BOOK!

Jack

[Padfield]

Don't worry, Jack - I only bother with trivia like you in my breaks!

For anyone who's interested, the last mystery butterfly above is a female of Catonephele numilia. Just need to find a female upperside now.

Guy

[Padfield]

A few more piccies from the Papiliorama, on a rather grey, snowy day in the Alps (though it was sunny at Kerzers).


(Danaus chrysippus - to add to the plexippus and genutia I have previously photographed here)


(Junonia almana - a truly stunning butterfly of South Asia)


(An underside of Junonia almana, showing the wet season form. Strangely, I was in India during the wet season and only saw the 'dry season' form there ...)


(It took me a long time to track this down. It is subspecies theudela of Heliconius sara)


(This is subspecies clarescens of Heliconius ismenius. The nominate subspecies also flies here - I don't know if they meet and mate. Heliconius is an extraordinarily difficult genus to identify)


(This crumply girl is Kallima albofasciata, which seems to fly only in the Andaman Islands ...)


(... and this is her underside. I think three different species of Kallima fly in the Papiliorama. I have also photographed inachus and paralekta)


(Tithorea tarricina - one of several Ithomiids in the Papiliorama. The group superficially resemble Heliconids)


(Euthalia aconthea - an Indian species)


(Papilio nireus feeding alongside Heliconius hewitsoni - something you will never see in nature, as they live in Africa and South America respectively)


(A distant shot of a female Catonephele numilia. Males were flying today too)

There are quite a few swallowtails (especially Pachliopta/Atrophaneura and Parides) I still have to sort out - it's far harder identifying butterflies when you don't know where they come from - but little by little I'm building up a reasonable collection of photos which should at least give pointers to ID for visitors to other butterfly houses.

As ever, my ID page is here: http://www.guypadfield.com/butterflyhouse.html. Please do let me know any misidentifications you spot there. The one big thing missing is a birdwing - I haven't come across one yet. In fact, I've never seen a live birdwing at all, in nature or in a butterfly house. It will be a big excitement when I do, as I've been waiting since I was 7 years old ...

Guy

[Padfield]

I visited the valley in the morning to see if small tortoiseshells were flying yet - and discovered they weren't. At least, I didn't see any in the short time I had before the clouds came over and it got bitterly cold. But I did see probably ten different Queen of Spain fritillaries. The markings of these butterflies are like fingerprints and I pay a lot of attention to them, instinctively giving individuals names like Hook, Spotty or Spongebob to help avoid counting the same one twice. Today I came across Dumbo - and what made this particularly interesting was the fact I last saw Dumbo 20 days ago, on 12th Jan.


(Dumbo on 12th Jan)


(Dumbo on 1st Feb - clearly older, but not geriatric yet!)

Following 12th Jan there was a spell of cold, snowy weather, followed by warmer, but rarely sunny, conditions in the last week. Dumbo was probably inactive most of that time, enjoying what I would describe as punctuated torpor. With the return of very cold air today (at about 13h30!) it will be interesting to see if I can find him again, when it is next warm.

Apart from the Queens I saw a single red admiral.

Here are a few more Queens to brighten the page!


(very easy markings to spot - I'll know him again!)




(This was the tattiest individual - he was doubtless around on 12th Jan too ...)


(... but this one was completely fresh)

I was not the only person looking for insects sunbathing on the wall:



There's not much snow left in the valley but I am sure more will fall:



Guy

[Padfield]

A few more shots from inside, in the Papiliorama, on a pretty miserable day outside (it even felt pretty grey in the butterfly house).

A few Neptis hylas were enjoying the gloom and it was especially nice to see them in flight, living up to the usual name for the European species in the genus, the gliders (rather than sailors).





There were two or three Danaus chrysippus (plain tiger) and also, for the first time, their mimic, Hypolimnas misippus:


(chrysippus)


(misippus)

She was deep down in the shade there, having only recently emerged, I think, but was very happy to join me for a photo session in slightly better light:





Symmetry and asymmetry. First, Papilio rumanzovia:



Then Consul fabius with Hypolimnas bolina:



I haven't identified this leafwing yet:



There were several of them on the drying tree:



I think this is Tirumala sp. - perhaps septentrionis, an Indian butterfly, but I haven't sat down with the books yet.



It didn't hang around for long and was the only one I saw.

Just a couple more, out of the dozens of photos I took:


(Vindula arsinoe)


(Junonia almana)

They were simulating the rainy season today, with precipitation in the central part of the dome:



I don't know if the buterflies appreciated it, but I thought it was a nice touch!

Guy

EDIT: I have now identified the leafwing - it is Siderone galanthis. What a shame I didn't see the upperside:

http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Am ... anthis.htm

I'll have to go back next week for that!

[Padfield]

Just in case anyone should be wondering, it seems my domain name, guypadfield.com, expired today and the credit card on file was out of date &c. &c., so any pictures I've posted on UK Butterflies have provisionally disappeared!

I've put it right, but have no idea how long it will be before the name is active again - so apologies to anyone currently trying to use any resources on my site!

Guy

[Padfield]

I wouldn't normally have visited again so soon, but last time I went to the Papiliorama there were some freshly emerged Siderone galanthis and I wanted to get an upperside shot. As it turned out, I couldn't find them today, but here are a few other shots that might be of interest.

First, a female Hypolimnas bolina, mimicking Euploea sp., ovipositing. The white dot is one of her eggs:



Next, a female of the closely related Hypolimnas misippus, mimicking a plain tiger:



Here is a male of the same species, up in a tree:



This is Doleschallia bisaltide (the autumn leafwing):





This Hamadryas laodamia, the beautifully named starry night cracker, looks a bit worn on the left side because I had to manhandle the forewing behind the hindwing. He was flapping around, unable to fly, on the floor, but calmed down completely when I undislocated him - much to the relief of several little children!



Both the butterfly-house Myscelia species were present today. This is cyaniris:



And this is ethusa, watching from on high:



Dryadula phaetusa with wings closed ...



... and open:



Kallima albofasciata, the white oakleaf, from the Andaman Islands:



Papilio torquatus, from South America:



Consul fabius, watching out over the pond:



And finally, as usual, one I haven't yet identified:



It's really lovely to see all these butterflies in mid-winter, but roll on summer all the same!

Guy

EDIT: The mystery butterfly seems to be Fountainea nobilis - or if not that species, then one in the same genus.

[Padfield]

Despite severe frost warnings for the valley, the butterflies were up and about at lunchtime today, including a new species for the year: small tortoiseshell. There was a stiff breeze and very little settled, but I got a few pictures all the same.






(Queens have been flying on every sunny day since 8th January)



Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Guy. I am fascinated by your weather. The easiest way for me to look up the historical observations is via airfield reports (but of course, there would be other more complicated methods). So which are the nearest airfields to your butterfly playgrounds?

You have no doubt noticed that people in the south of UK are moaning about gentle breezes accompanied by some light drizzle!
So how is your winter compared to average?

Jack

[Padfield]

Hi Jack. The nearest airport is at Sion, just a little further up the valley:

https://www.google.ch/maps/place/Sion+A ... 30ba04842b

My winter hunting grounds are actually nearer Martigny but the weather is not that different at Sion and they have a permanent weather station there, with homegnised records going back to the 19th century at least.

This winter is far warmer than average, with less precipitation. Although it is usual for there to be a few precocious (or foolish) butterflies around in January and early February it is not at all normal for them to be flying in such good numbers on every sunny day.

Gux

[Jack Harrison]

Reports in code for Sion LSGS are here: http://weather.uwyo.edu/cgi-bin/wyowx.f ... ATION=lsgs

LSGS 121520Z 26004KT CAVOK 11/M06 Q1010
LSGS 121450Z 24004KT 180V270 CAVOK 11/M05 Q1010
LSGS 121420Z 23004KT 180V260 9999 FEW070 11/M03 Q1010
LSGS 121350Z 19004KT 150V220 9999 FEW070 11/M03 Q1011
LSGS 121320Z 23003KT 170V280 9999 FEW070 11/M03 Q1011
LSGS 121250Z 23005KT 190V270 CAVOK 10/M03 Q1011
LSGS 121220Z VRB03KT CAVOK 09/M02 Q1012

And a simple decode of the relevant bits of latest report:
LSGS 121520Z 26004KT CAVOK 11/M06 Q1010

LSGS 121520Z means 12th of month at time 1520 GMT (zulu)
26004KT means wind from 260 degrees (almost west) at 4 knots (convert to metres/sec by dividing by two so 4 knots = 2 metres/sec)
CAVOK means clear and visibility OK (in excess of 10 kilometres, no low cloud and probably completely cloudless at all heights
---------------If instead for example A code of FEW = few clouds, SCT = scattered, BKN = broken, OVC = overcast
11/M06 means temperature 11C and dewpoint minus 6, ie a day with very low humidity (with a frosty night to follow provided no change in cloud cover or wind).
Q1010 ignore - it's the barometric pressure.

Jack

[Padfield]

Still no butterflies flying at my altitude, despite the unseasonably warm winter, but I did find quite a few brown hairstreak eggs in my village today, promising some more caterpillar pictures in a couple of months:





A few more new delights from the Papiliorama yesterday.

Graphium colonna - one of the swordtails:




Phoebis philea, closely related to Catopsilia:


Charaxes fulvescens:



Not a new species, but good opportunities to commune with male and female Hypolimnas misippus ...


(male)


(female)

... and Hypolimnas bolina:


(female)


(mating pair)

White morphos, Morpho polyphemus, were flopping around:



Dryadula phaetusa and Myscelia cyaniris:





I photographed this pupa last week - I don't know what it is:



It was still hanging in the same place yesterday - if I lived closer I would pop in every day in the hope of seeing it hatch.

Guy

[Padfield]

Further along the Rhône Valley, male brimstones were out in force today and I caught a glimpse of a single comma (as well as a very tatty Queen of Spain). The comma was my sixth species in Switzerland this year - ridiculous for 20th February and unprecedented in my experience.





(Just a dash really, rather than a comma - but it made a dash too and I couldn't get any better pictures)

Guy

[Maximus]

Glad you found some Brown Hairstreak eggs Guy, nice photos of them too. Hope you follow their progress and that there is a good hatching success rate.

Mike

[Padfield]

Thanks, Max. Last year I followed a BH cat until his branch got pulled down by the cows. I will try to follow more than one this year ...

Down in the Rhône Valley the Glanville fritillary cats were already up and about - or at least, this one was:



He was still tiny, and I couldn't get any closer without overshadowing him, so that shot's the best I could do.

I had in fact gone down to look for cardinal cats, though this was something of a longshot. The foodplant normally cited is Viola kitaibeliana, which grows abundantly over the whole area, and as the population of cardinals is extremely small, it is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack! I didn't find any needles, but I did find something a little like a pincushion - either a discarded fritcatskin or a dead fritcat. It was on a leaf of V. kitaibeliana, so is probably Queen of Spain, which uses the same foodplant. Again, it was tiny, but I could get a little closer because it didn't seem to be alive:



Obviously, Queens and small tortoiseshells were flying, before the clouds came over and it got very cold. A few red admirals were about too, and my first pecock of the year, though that didn't pause as it flew past.





Guy

[Chris Jackson]

Guy, your Swiss butterflies are a hardy lot. In the Mediterranean you can give them all the sun possible, but if its no more than 13°C, like today, they just won't come out.
Chris