CFB

[CFB]

I'm starting my Personal Diary a bit late this year, but better late than never!

In January and February the only butterflies I saw were three or four (presumably) Red Admirals flying past at great speed.

My first identified sightings were on March 3 when I saw a male Cleopatra #1 ...

... then a male Brimstone #2 ...

There was also a White that I was unable to identify, and what was probably either a Speckled Wood or a Wall Brown.

This morning as I was nearly at the end of my walk during which I saw no butterflies at all even though it was sunny and warm, I saw a Nettle-tree Butterfly #3 on a Southern Polypodium fern (Polypodium cambricum). This was only the fifth time I'd seen one. Although it was very active, I did manage to get a poor photo of it.

Incidentally, Southern Polypodium has a distinct underside. This photo was taken a couple of years ago ...

--
Colin

[David M]

You got real lucky with that Nettle Tree Butterfly, Colin. I'd love to see one (or more) of those.

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Colin,
Well spotted for the Cleopatra - I have still yet to see my first this year, and I'm impressed by your differentiation with the Brimstone. I'm always stumped by the difference in underside ID.
As for the Nettle-tree Butterfly, next week-end I must check out local haunts because I think the flight window for ex-hibernators is quite short, and mustn't miss the photo shoot. This could be a good sign because they are often in phase with Green Hairstreak.
Cheers, Chris

[CFB]

I'm impressed by your differentiation with the Brimstone. I'm always stumped by the difference in underside ID.

Hello Chris,

In this case I did see the upper-side of both butterflies in flight quite close to me, so there was no ID problem . But I agree, it can be difficult for us mere amateurs .
--
Best regards,
Colin

[CFB]

This morning in the Parc de la Brague it was sunny and cloudless and about 14 degrees C.

I saw one Clouded Yellow #4. There were not many flowers, but it had managed to find one ...

On the way back I found this Speckled Wood #5, lurking in the undergrowth ...

Also seen were two or three Brimstones, and an unidentified Blue.

And a couple of minutes ago, as I was typing this, there were three buzzards circling around above the garden. No photo .
--
Colin

[NickMorgan]

Great to read about butterflies flying in other parts of the world! I still haven't seen anything here, althouth one Peacock has been reported to me.

[CFB]

Hello Nick,

Patience, patience, it won't be long now. I normally see butterflies down here in January and February, but this year I had to wait until March.
--
Colin

[CFB]

I thought I would have seen more butterflies than I did this morning as it was sunny, around 12 degrees, with very little wind. But I only saw one Comma #6, one male Brimstone and two or three Speckled Woods. They all seemed much more interested in flying around rather than settling down and being photographed , as a result of which I only took one photo, and that was of the Comma from further away than I would have preferred. But as I see only one or two Commas each year, I can't complain .

--
Colin

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Colin,
The season seems slow starting off - perhaps that's because we had an early start last year.
Still, Comma and Brimstone, not bad - I'll be lucky if I see them at all.
For your unidentified blue higher up, I would expect to see Lang's STB at this time of year.
There is no hope for a real start to Spring this weekend in Marseille - let's see what next week brings.
On Sunday, I'll be running the Marseille Marathon in the rain (well, the 10 km event), so I won't have regrets over butterfly hunting in bad conditions.
Cheers, Chris

[CFB]

Hello Chris,

My unidentified blue was certainly not a Lang's Short-tailed Blue, even though it was were they will be later on in the year. I think it was probably a Common Blue. My earliest encounter with a Common Blue was on 19/3/2012:

Je te souhaite bonne chance pour dimanche !!!
--
Colin

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Colin,
I also saw a "blue" today, which was definitely not a Lang's STB.
I cannot say exactly what it was, it flew by without stopping.
If it had been a Holly Blue, I think it would have been more sedentary and territorial.
Perhaps a Common Blue, alors ?
Rain tomorrow - pluie demain
Chris

[CFB]

This morning it was sunny with no clouds, a bit windy, and warm (about 15 degrees) so I thought I should see some butterflies. I did see some, but was disappointed because I didn't manage to get any photos . Around the Pont des Dones I saw my first Green-veined White #7 of the year, an unidentified Blue, and a male Cleopatra. And altogether I saw a total of well over 15 Brimstones, mostly males, but one potential mating couple.

Perhaps I'll see some more butterflies in the garden this afternoon.
--
Colin

[CFB]

The weather was similar to yesterday in the Parc de la Brague this morning. But still very few butterflies, and those that were around never seemed to stop flying for very long.

I saw several Brimstones, one male Cleopatra, a few Speckled Woods (the only photo of the day), ...

... yet another unidentified Blue, and my first Large Tortoiseshell #8 of the year.

--
Colin

[CFB]

Yesterday morning I saw ten or twelve male Brimstones, one male Cleopatra, and that was all.

This morning I saw my first Wall Brown #9 of the year, in fact a mating couple ...

There were several Speckled Woods, including this one ...

and a few male Brimstones ...

This is a view taken this morning of some of the mountains in the Parc national du Mercantour, including the Cime du Gélas at the extreme left, the highest mountain (3143 m.) in the Alpes-Maritimes ...

--
Colin

[Chris Jackson]

Interesting sightings, Colin.
I won't be seeing any Brimstones over here, however Cleopatra sightings have become more common in the last few days.
I havn't seen a Holly Blue or Nettle-tree Butterfly yet this Spring - have you seen Holly Blue ?
Chris

[Wurzel]

I really like the Specklie shot - the difference between the continental and British form is rally marked, I wasn't aware that they appear so different

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[CFB]

Hello Chris,

I saw a solitary Nettle-tree Butterfly on March 9, see above. I am still waiting to see Holly Blues and Green Hairstreaks. But the good news is that Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is coming into flower at the Pont des Dones, so the Orange-tips should very soon appear.

Even though this morning was warm and sunny with little wind (T-shirt weather ) the only butterflies I saw were two unidentified Whites flying together .

Hello Wurzel,

The Speckled Woods I see down here are ssp. aegeria, whereas those in Britain are ssp. tircis. There is quite a difference between the two.
--
Colin

[CFB]

This morning I saw my first Green Hairstreaks #10 of the year. This one allowed me to take a few photos, but others were not as helpful ...

Apart from that there was one male Cleopatra and several Speckled Woods.

I also saw a Gyrobroyeur mécanique ...

This is used to clear the undergrowth including shrubs and small trees up to 10 metres or so on each side of the pistes in the forest as a preventive measure to avoid forest fires. During this process, no doubt many butterfly pupae are destroyed .
--
Colin

[Chris Jackson]

Nice Green Hairstreak, Colin.
And that's a mean bit of gardening kit in that photo - it would make short work of my weeds .
This weekend I finally saw my first Nettle-tree Butterfly and Holly Blue of the year, despite a raging Mistral wind.
Chris

[CFB]

This morning there were several Green Hairstreaks in the same place in the Parc de la Brague as on Sunday. If disturbed, they seem to come back to the same plant, which is very nice of them.

In the same spot I saw my first Holly Blue #11 of the year. In fact there were two of them together. No photos, as they were in the midst of dense, spiky undergrowth.

I also saw a few Speckled Woods.
--
Colin