A Bulgarian Spring.

[Padfield]

Another great selection of photos!

The underside confirms sooty copper for the copper originally shown with the large wall.

My money on the first Plebejus female is actually silver-studded blue (argus). This is a very unconfident identification indeed, as these species are so sedentary and variable across their range that experience in central Europe is not a reliable guide. However, I can see no hint of brown in the fringe - a characteristic of female idas - and the hindwing orange band is too intruded upon by the black crescents for central European argyrognomon. I will happily concede to someone like Misha who has experience of Bulgarian butterflies - or to Reverdin, just because he's as likely to be right as me!

I can say that the mazarine blue is most definitely not that. It is Cupido and most probably Cupido osiris - Osiris blue. Assuming it's the same individual in the two consecutive pictures, I think female osiris fits the bill perfectly.

The next two Plebejus are interesting because they are certainly different species. The second is argus, and the first either idas or argyrognomon. I incline towards argyrognomon (Reverdin's) at least partly because I believe idas in that region has broader borders.

The last female blue is very difficult to determine on this picture alone. The complete absence of any hint of orange lunules suggests it is not Plebejus but possibly another female osiris.

Guy

EDIT: For the mazarine/Osiris distinction, look at the top three spots in the postdiscal sequence on the hindwing. They form an acute angle. In mazarine blue they always form a shallow obtuse angle. They may be slightly obtuse in Osiris (up to about 100°) but are never acute in mazarine.

[Padfield]

I found this particularly fascinating,as I am off to Georgia in the Caucasus at the end of April and the beginning of May.Does anyone have any information on what might be around then,as I think research beforehand could be useful.
P.J.U.

You might find this book useful:

https://sites.google.com/site/tshikolov ... d-caucasus

Guy

[P.J.Underwood]

Thanks Guy.You coming up with this is like hitting the bullseye first time!
P.J.U.

[Michaeljf]

Hi Rags,
I've only just caught up with this thread so like everyone else, I can only say what a fantastic collection of photos. I'll have a closer look tonight. You are lucky to spend 3 months out there - I am currently due to go back to SW Bulgaria this year having visited for only a week last year.

If you haven't already seen it, the site below is very useful for sites for the Bulgarian butterflies (I wasn't smart enough to realise that it does have some grid refs for many species too).

http://www.nmnhs.com/butterfly_areas_bg/

Best wishes,

Michael

n.b. My trip report from our brief visit last year: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5405

[Mikhail]

Let me just add a few remarks on idas and its relatives in Bulgaria. I'm pretty sure that idas can be ruled out in the case of Rags' Hotnica butterflies on the grounds of habitat and distribution. In Bulgaria idas is a montane species, seldom found below 800m. It is also always found closely associated with its sole larval foodplant, a species of Chamaecytisus. This race with broad black borders to the male uppersides is known as ssp baldur. It also occurs in northern Greece, and is different both morphologically and ecologically from other Balkan idas. Tolman refers to it as ssp magnagraeca. There is an interesting article on the Balkan idas at http://webh01.ua.ac.be/vve/Phegea/2005/ ... _33-12.pdf. To turn to Hotnica, as soon as I saw the female Plebejus I thought argyrognomon. I feel that a female argus would be much browner on the underside. I agree with Guy that the two male uppersides are argyrognomon and argus.

Michael, that's a very useful link, and to think I needlessly bought the book.

Misha

Edit: I have just discovered that the above link does not work, but you can still find the article on Google by searching under Plebejus idas baldur. Modesty almost prevents me from mentioning that the first item to come up on Google is one of my photos of baldur. At least it shows a typical male.

[MikeOxon]

The link for the article on the Balkan idas should be: http://webh01.ua.ac.be/vve/Phegea/2005/ ... _13-22.pdf

Mike

[Michaeljf]

Hi Mike,
thanks for posting the link to that article. It does make me wonder whether the some of the blues at the stream on the second day of my 2011 visit (27th June) were in fact the 'baldur' idas species as stated in the article as being one of the 4 sites (Pirin: Disilitsa river, the tourist route from Dobrinishte village to “Gotse Deltchev” chalet, 1300 m); however, I never did decide on a proper ID and without more pictures I ended up assuming some were Silver-studded blues (Plebeius argus). I admit I'm not expert enough on many species (and I don't have an Ipad to upload the excellent new App mentioned elsewhere!)

Misha - I brought the 'Prime butterflies in bulgaria' book too when I could have 'just' used the equavelent website. However, I do like having 'real' books to flick through . The website by Abadjiev and Beshkov did help me working out where to go in SW Bulgaria later this year: last year because it was my first trip I followed the route suggested by Pete Eeles from his 2007 visit (still available in the overseas trips section of UKB). This year I plan to stay near the Yadenitsa valley and maybe have the odd excursion to Rila and Bansko areas (Kresna Gorge) if I have time. And if I can work out the route to the Kresna Gorge as last time we could only find the town!

3 months in Bulgaria still sounds good though..

Michael

[The Annoying Czech]

I can't believe there's only one location with "Duskies" in the whole Bulgaria. Anyway, good website for such a "forgotten" country. Great data coverage.

[Mikhail]

Thank you, Oxonian Mike for the correct URL.
The other Michael: The Kresna Gorge is just north of Kresna village.

Misha

[rags]

Once again, many thanks to you all for the comments and in particular for those who have helped with the ID's.

It is odd to think of wandering around the village in Bulgaria last year and seeing so many unknown butterflies. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would probably not manage to identify many. This website has been so helpful in that respect and the forum shows there are many like-minded souls with similar interests.

A few final images from a Bulgarian spring...

A Blue.


A Skipper


A White.


Yellow asphodel near the coast.




Common Heath (Ematurga atomaria atomaria)


Yellow Underwing.


Shieldbugs (Graphosoma italicum)


Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis) ♂


Rose Chafer


Bug invasion - firebugs - (Pyrrhocoris apterus)


Scarab Beetles.


Common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis)


Testudo hermanni, Bulgaria.


Female Common Tree Frog (Hyla arborea), Bulgaria.


Traditional ploughing. We watched this man for several minutes and I called over to ask if I could take his photo.He held a hand up to stop me then pulled his hat on straight before giving me the thumbs up.



Finally a photograph that encapsulates our time in rural Bulgaria. Taken on a sunny evening it shows our lane, the nearest neighbours out chatting and working and the livestock returning from the common.



Cheers.

[Padfield]

More great pictures!

For the unidentified butterflies, I'd go for Adonis blue, grizzled skipper and small white.

Guy

[David M]

A lovely invitation into what is another world.

More please!

[Michaeljf]

Lovely pictures, but the Tree frog photograph --- amazing!

Michael

[David M]

Lovely pictures, but the Tree frog photograph --- amazing!

Michael

Personally, I prefer the tortoise!

[Gibster]

Having endured several nocturnal lamping expeditions along various Spanish water margins, I can only salute you for capturing a tree frog on film. I heard many, saw none. We did manage such beauties as Natterjacks and Western Spade-foot Toads, Iberian Water Frogs, False Smooth Snake, Montpellier Snake, Spanish Psammodramus, Moorish Gecko, Western 3-toed Skink, Iberian Worm Lizard (wow!!!), Ocellated Lizard, Spiny-footed Lizard and Mediterranean Chameleons...is there a comprehensive guide to Bulgarian herps that you can recommend???

Very nice diary, by the way,

Gibster.

[rags]

Padfield

For the unidentified butterflies, I'd go for Adonis blue, grizzled skipper and small white.

Thank you for the IDs.


Hi Gibster,

The tree frogs were found during the day in fairly cool and windswept conditions. They were low down in stream side vegetation on hills outside the village. We too have spent time trying to locate calling frogs by torchlight - a frustrating business. I'm certain some tree frogs have evolved with voice-throwing abilities.

Sounds like you had a fairly productive time in Spain. Good find on the Spadefoot. My wife and I were out there for a year and didn't find any.

For all European reptiles and amphibians I pack the Collins Field Guide by Arnold and Ovenden and a recent addition, The New Holland European Reptile and Amphibian Guide by Axel Kwet. I seem to be filling the bags with books when travelling now. Not sure where the next European destination may be but I will be packing my new Butterfly Field Guide too, much to my wife's consternation.

Tree Frog


Habitat.


David M.

A lovely invitation into what is another world.

More please!

I'm about out of 'postworthy' Butterfly photos. How about a few photos of the quirkier side of the Bulgarians that made us smile?

Man walking sheep.


The Bulgarian Cheeky Girls at Spring Holiday celebrations.


Bracelets in the trees.
In Bulgaria a custom exists where red and white Martenitsa woven bracelets are worn until there are signs of Spring. When the first White Stork returns to the countryside from wintering grounds or new buds show on the trees, the Martenitsas are then tied onto the branches.
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Wee Jimmy Cranky joins the Communist Party


Latest fashion in the donkey world.


At last, the final fate of Wile E. Coyote is revealed.






Cheers.

[David M]

The Bulgarian Cheeky Girls at Spring Holiday celebrations.

[NickMorgan]

More lovely pictures of a beautiful country. I loved the tree frog that reminds me of my childhood in the Camargue. The hermanni tortoise - would you believe that my father brought me one of those home from Corfu in about 1970 in his hand luggage? It lived outside all year around at our house in Scotland and used to "run away" regularly to the neighbours. They used to bring it back to us occasionally, but eventually we said that if they were happy we should just let it live with them where it seemed happy! It was certainly still alive in the early nineties, but I lost touch with it after my mother died.