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Monday 28th of July.

Back to work unfortunately.
Overcast but very warm at lunchtime in the scrub. I was expecting to find this next species right now (calendar week 31), and almost to order, there it was !!

SPECIES No. 58: Tree Grayling (statilinus) Then, just for the pleasure, and for those who have never seen one before, a Striped Grayling in the same dry scrub / wasteland environment: Cheers, Chris

Hello Chris,

I've been looking out for Tree Graylings for the last few days, without success. I will look even more carefully the next time I go out.
--
Colin

Hi Colin,
As I always just get back from holiday at this time of year, I have never managed to work out a precise date of appearance for the Tree Grayling. This year my first sighting is the 28th of July, last year it was the 30th of July. The actual date of appearance though must be somewhere between calendar weeks 28 and 31. Good luck, keep your eyes peeled, they are either out there now or they're a-comin'.
Chris

Wednesday 6th of August

The 2nd brood Two-tailed Pasha is flying in the South of France. Theoretically (according to T&L) it should fly from mid August, but it has already been around for a week now.
jasius (zoom, cropped and compressed) - Panasonic FZ150 jasius at a distance of 15 cm (no zoom, uncropped but compressed) - Panasonic FZ150 Cheers, Chris

Nice photos Chris. This morning I went to where I saw a Two-tailed Pasha on July 28, but there weren't any today. But there were plenty of Southern Gatekeepers, and very little of anything else.
--
All the best,
Colin

very nice pics of 2TP Chris !! i went to a previous location for them this morning but pas un saucisson

Hi Colin and Charles,
Perhaps there will be a surge in the numbers of 2TPashas yet to come. Otherwise its rather parched at the moment and only Southern Gatekeepers, Tree Graylings and Striped Graylings are thriving. I wonder if there will be an end-of-season Clouded Yellow arrival ? - they have been very scarce so far this year.
Cheers, Chris

cjackson wrote:Hi Colin and Charles,
Perhaps there will be a surge in the numbers of 2TPashas yet to come. Otherwise its rather parched at the moment and only Southern Gatekeepers, Tree Graylings and Striped Graylings are thriving. I wonder if there will be an end-of-season Clouded Yellow arrival ? - they have been very scarce so far this year.
Cheers, Chris

i have not noticed much difference in the Clouded Yellows numbers in the Aude this year. i managed to get one nice pic at the end of July:
Charles

Nice Clouded Yellow, Charles.
Yes, they are very good at camouflage:
(here are 2 from a previous year): I am enjoying following your gastronomic / butterflying holiday in the Aude département, Charles.
Cheers, Chris

cjackson wrote:Nice Clouded Yellow, Charles.
Yes, they are very good at camouflage:
(here are 2 from a previous year):

crocea2 (3).JPG

crocea1 (1).JPG

I am enjoying following your gastronomic / butterflying holiday in the Aude département, Charles.
Cheers, Chris

Glad you are liking my explorations of the wilderness & restaurants of the Aude

more today https://www.flickr.com/groups/2666925@N20/

the paella was magnifique !!

i saw a 2TP whilst in the Cité on Thursday... "that is an unusual colour for a swift... "... it was huge and did not hang around for photos

Charles

Sunday 10th of August

SPECIES No. 59: Silver-Washed Fritillary (paphia)

This species just about rounds up my local checklist for this year.
I thought the SWF was a vagrant species down my way, but a little searching just outside of Marseilles, in a shady park with brambles and stream, has revealed a small colony. At the beginning of the year I anticipated seeing 57 or so species locally. Finally, I have seen all of them, plus a couple of new ones, minus the Adonis Blue which did not put in a show this year.
Cheers, Chris

Tuesday 12th of August

SPECIES No. 60: Long-tailed Blue (boeticus)

The LTB is flying in the South of France !!
I almost forgot this one from my yearly checklist. Yesterday evening I spotted my first 3 LTBs of the year in a public garden in Marseilles.
Here is the underside of 1 of them. Chris

Sunday 17th of August

Over the last few days the temperature has dropped slightly from the usual 32°C down to 26 or 27°, which means that the hottest of the summer is over. This usually occurs around the 15th August.
To-day, an ageing Striped Grayling (female I think) allowed me an open-wing shot that I'd like to share with you: Cheers, Chris

cjackson wrote:
Over the last few days the temperature has dropped slightly from the usual 32°C down to 26 or 27

My heart goes out to you, Chris.

To be honest, I bet this comes as a relief. I was starting to struggle with a week of 26c here in Swansea a fortnight back. Not much fun when you're at work and doing mundane things like shopping, commuting, etc.

David M wrote:

cjackson wrote:
Over the last few days the temperature has dropped slightly from the usual 32°C down to 26 or 27

My heart goes out to you, Chris.

To be honest, I bet this comes as a relief. I was starting to struggle with a week of 26c here in Swansea a fortnight back. Not much fun when you're at work and doing mundane things like shopping, commuting, etc.

on Sunday at 7pm the temperature in Pomas was 35 degrees ...

Tuesday 26th August - overcast and 29°C
Vitrolles, South of France

What was flying in the Mediterranean scrubland at lunchtime today ?
There seems to be an end-of-summer arrival of Clouded Yellows around here. In the space of 30 minutes I saw at least 1 male and 5-or-so egg-laying females. Female on left, male on right: Context - Plateau of Vitrolles These open-wing shots really need improving on - they are recentered, heavily cropped and compressed (me on a good day, Panasonic FZ150 on a bad day):
f. helice: lots of running around and "shooting from the hip": More context A Long-tail Blue Context 2 Two-tailed Pashas The one on the left Then the one on the right Cheers, Chris

What a lunch hour! Mating Clouded Yellows, Long Tailed Blue and Two Tailed Pasha!

cjackson wrote:Tuesday 26th August - overcast and 29°C
Vitrolles, South of France

What was flying in the Mediterranean scrubland at lunchtime today ?
There seems to be an end-of-summer arrival of Clouded Yellows around here. In the space of 30 minutes I saw at least 1 male and 5-or-so egg-laying females. Female on left, male on right:

crocea pair12_13 female L male R Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aug 2014 (5).JPG

Context - Plateau of Vitrolles

garrigue (3).JPG

These open-wing shots really need improving on - they are recentered, heavily cropped and compressed (me on a good day, Panasonic FZ150 on a bad day):
f. helice:

crocea13_13 female helice Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aug 2014 (1).JPG

lots of running around and "shooting from the hip":

crocea14_13 female Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aug 2014.JPG

More context

garrigue (2).JPG

A Long-tail Blue

boeticus14_13 Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aout 2014.JPG

Context

garrigue (1).JPG

2 Two-tailed Pashas

jasius12_13 Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aout 2014.JPG

The one on the left

jasius13_13 Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aout 2014.JPG

Then the one on the right

jasius14_13 Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aout 2014 (1).JPG

jasius14_13 Vitrolles garrigue 26 Aout 2014 (2).JPG

Cheers, Chris

Great pics Chris ! I especially like the 2TP "on the left"... very effective against the white boulder

Charles

Tuesday 21st October - overcast and 26°C
Vitrolles, South of France

Today I spotted a Crimson Speckled Footman in the scrub. This species appears here at exactly the same time each year (calendar week 43) : Cheers, Chris

Hello Chris,

I don't often see Crimson Speckled Footmen in my part of the world. In fact the only photos I have of them were taken on July 29, 2010, a bit earlier in the year than you:
It is on a leaf of European Heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum).
--
Colin