www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

bailey1409 wrote:Hi Peter

Your Knapweed Fritillary looks like a Heath Fritillary!

Cheers

Maurice

Thanks Maurice, I have changed where I can.

Peter

HI Peter,

Stunning images from your recent trip, I recognise some of those species from our visit to the Cevennes.

You made a great point about getting out early to look for Butterflies roosting or Warming up.
A big problem I had with both organised visits to France was the late start. A civilised breakfast time,
then the journey to a site, usually ensured supercharged Butterflies on arrival, around mid morning.

Looking forward to more of your images,
Trevor.

Day 3 in Croatia (June 6th). Some time was spent at Villa Plitvicka Sedra in Irinovac to enjoy the sunshine and awakening butterflies before leaving for Starigrad-Paklenica. This Glanville was the more usual form.



We were seeing many, many Amanda’s Blues, but they were (to my eye) not easy to give a quick ID to. And with many blues flying together and looking a bit worn, I may possibly get some IDs wrong, I wish I could illustrate the movement and bustle, but that is beyond me.



The Green Hairstreaks were the same, but also different…if that makes sense. Charming and flighty.



There were a few Coppers, but many less than I had expected. This Large Copper was a stunning sight and the best I’d get on the holiday.



And a confusion of skippers... This may or may not be a Hungarian Skipper…



This ‘magic’ in-flight shot of a Clouded Yellow male frozen in flight having just been sent packing by the female (below) - another shot in my collection (but not here) shows the tail lift rejection, this better shows the male wing pattern.



So after a substantial trawl of the grounds we set out on a day long trip ending at our next hotel by the coast at Starigrad-Paklenica. We had several stops including this one which was instantly known as the 'smelly' lay-by. Apparently, it is a recognised ‘rest-stop’ for locals; but it has no toilet facilities. We were warned to watch our step and keep on the path! It is often a good spot for butterflies!

Sadly there were no large nymphalidae, but there was a very pleasing Chequered Skipper.



And a Small Skipper



..and Woodland Ringlets



With speed and olfactory relief we left the ‘smelly’ lay-by. We moved to another stopping place where we saw Graylings on the road. And amongst them....my first ever sighting of a Nettle Tree butterfly. Amazing sight, at least a dozen butterflies were ‘resting’ on this road. I spent the rest of the holiday trying to get one on vegetation, but they were easily ‘spooked’.



And an Ilex hairstreak.



And another Nettle Tree (I do have more…!..well it was a highlight of the holiday for me)



At the last stop on route to Hotel Rajna, Starigrad-Paklenica. On the edge of a mountain gorge, in rough scrub. We were treated to a long visit by a Great Sooty Satyr.



I'll try and include a few other sights in addition to butterflies. This Balkan whip snake was in a bush, three feet above ground in the rough land opposite the hotel running down to the beach.



Which is a fitting end to a long day.

Great set of images, Peter. Particularly the in-flight Clouded Yellow.
It's a great shame that they always keep their wings closed when at rest.

Clouded Yellows can keep us going into November, here in Sussex.

It's Tesco Tuna time !.
Trevor.

Wow times a very large number! I will give up trying to pick a fave or stand out and just enjoy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

trevor wrote:Great set of images, Peter. Particularly the in-flight Clouded Yellow.
It's a great shame that they always keep their wings closed when at rest.

Clouded Yellows can keep us going into November, here in Sussex.

It's Tesco Tuna time !.
Trevor.

Yes, I agree especially when you need to make an ID of different cloudy's.

Stay off the tuna...give them a chance.

Wurzel wrote:Wow times a very large number! I will give up trying to pick a fave or stand out and just enjoy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel. I think we get some good ones soon.

I'm loving this, Peter! More please! I can't wait to get away to the continent next week.....58 endemic species simply isn't enough!

Day 4 in Croatia (June 7th). Our hotel is by the sea, with a mountain view behind. This is the Velebit mountain range, between the sea and the mountains is the Paklenica National Park. In our stay, the edge of that Park is our focus for a number of 'Balkan' and 'mountain' butterflies.



We spent a day walking on rocky hiking paths on the edge of the park. There were large numbers of butterflies, lizards and Karst rocks. Birds of prey circled and song birds (nightingales, warblers etc) sang. There are also apparently bears and deer, not that we saw anything other than occasional wild animal tracks and dung. As a location it was beautiful and really hot.



An Italian Wall Lizard amongst many of various species of lizards and snakes seen.

The rocky terrain was home to Graylings, Wall and Large Wall butterflies. I love Large Walls







Whites including Southern and Mountain Small white flew alongside Marbled Whites and a few Balkan Marbled Whites (with their distinctive undersides)



I won’t post the whites as they are bound to be not what I say….

Some Graylings followed the script and sat on the ground or rocks with everything tucked out of sight, but some decided humans or flowers were to be preferred. Which was good as it enabled me to shoot my first ‘interesting’ Grayling shots.





I spotted this very large beetle. A longhorn species about 3 inches long (8cm). Our local guide said it was a wood boring species. It was a feisty fellow and a good flyer.





On this holiday I saw more hairstreaks than in the rest of my life to date. It was unbelievable. Thousands upon thousands. Sloe, Ilex, False Ilex, Green and probably the most numerous ….the Blue-spot Hairstreak. I’ve always had a soft spot for this (to me) ‘rare’ species. I had previously seen very few and taken care to shoot a good number as you never know if you’ll see another. After a while I realised that I needed to amend that strategy…





Once again Pearly heaths were in similar good numbers.



There were some butterflies which we saw only briefly including Gliders, a two-tailed Pasha and this Southern White Admiral which I shot from distance.



And just for Wurzel. A couple of shots of a nice Chequered Blue.




I followed this Holly Blue as she was ovipositing.



And took a 'dreamy' shot of a Black-veined White



I believe this is a Dryad, or if not another Great Sooty Satyr. It’s not the best angle and it was just passing through…



Alongside the butterflies I include these last two for the spider and grasshopper lovers.





Both were enormous.

I have been catching up with your Croatian diary, Art Frames - all your images are amazing but the one I keep going back to is the in-flight Clouded Yellow!

Fantastic, fabtastic shots with some real to die for species and shots, but you already know which one I'd covet more than any other

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks to Janet and Wurzel for your comments. I will keep posting here but may also repeat the pictures in a relevant part of the forum as it may be of use for people thinking about Eastern Europe for a trip. What do you think?

So, Day 5 in Croatia (June 8th). On a walk amongst scrub and rocks on the edge of the Paklenica National Park. Some new (to me) skippers were seen quite frequently. Marbled and Tufted Marbled Skippers. This was a Tufted.



There were lots of Clouded Yellow butterflies on the walk amongst scrub and rocks and I an a sucker for Cloudies.



But this was one of my lifetime first sightings and I hope will shift Wurzel’s affection from the smaller blues. This beauty just caught my instant attention. It was a larger blue, sensational colour and powerful. I stalked it and lost it and stalked it eventually seeing it land on this ‘stick’. From the instant I looked at it through the telephoto lens I knew it. From the slightly crenelated hind wing, it just had to be a Meleager’s Blue. Rapture.




The second picture just teases us with the colour, brightness and jewel like perfection. But there was one and he allowed us just a few minutes. One of the weaknesses of a group trip is that there is a pressure to move on. On my own I would not have left for several hours. I would have looked for a pair, open wings and, and…but we moved on….

And we saw a perfect Scarce Swallowtail (can I go back please)



But then we found a garden in a house to let, with open gates and lavender and some absolutely wonderful butterflies including another lifer (No I agree…it’s good to move on and see fresh sights) Like this Eastern Bath White.



Great Sooty Satyr.



And another lifer which will have to remain under embargo as I got better pictures on another day…

So, there were lots of lovely photos to be taken…







And finally a couple of shots of possible alternative interest from the day. A Dalmatian Wall Lizard and a wasp nest.

Janet Turnbull wrote:I have been catching up with your Croatian diary, Art Frames - all your images are amazing but the one I keep going back to is the in-flight Clouded Yellow!

One for Janet. A montage of a few of the rejection sequence. Mostly stopped in action...bigger on Flickr.

Croatia - June 6th- Clouded Yellow montage by Peter Willmott, on Flickr

Absolutely magnificent, Peter. I just love them all....even the grasshopper which looks proper evil!

That Meleager's is a bit of a tease Peter And that Clouded Yellow is so bright it looks like it fell in a tin of paint

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wonderful sequence, Peter - thanks!
Janet

Sorry for the delay. I have been out taking rather than posting. But to continue

Day 6 in Croatia (June 9th) transfer to Krasna. Goodbye to the Swallows who were in the process of fledging at the Hotel by the sea, before leaving for the Velabit mountains and a new Hotel.



My first ever sighting of an Eastern Large Heath alongside Pearly, Chestnut and Small Heath



Chestnut Heath



And even more Blue-spots



and a Queen of Spain



Spotted fritillary



with the gorgeous underside



Our second stopping site was a blue haven. Another first for me in the Turquoise Blue



silver-studded I think but I'm always looking for Idas, maybe one day



Moving along we stopped at a really nice site at a Water-meadow with another first in the Bright-eyed Ringlet



Much enjoyment with mating black-veined whites



And then cooling down in a puddle



There was a rather nice blue end to this day which I will add later. It has temporarily escaped my foolproof filing system

These shots get ever more envy inducing Peter The soft focus BVW shot is supremely lush

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely stuff, Peter, particularly those Blue Spot Hairstreaks which have absolutely HUGE blue spots compared to those I see in France.

Thank you Wurzel and David, I have found it hard to finish this diary with some delays and website issues, but hopefully, this short burst will be the end.

Firstly, as promised the Blue form the last entry. This is a lovely insect, a real surprise and had us all reading our field guides. A mountain Alcon Blue.



It was netted and released so the picture shows a somewhat bemused butterfly in an awkward pose. But what a butterfly