This is the third of three posts. It is the last two weeks in July, from the Mercantour back to the UK via eastern France.
First up is an increasingly popular spot in the Mercantour, heaving with butterflies in mid-July. I counted 46 species in one day and I’m sure there were many more I missed. This is Foulquier’s Grizzled Skipper (
Pyrgus foulquieri), a male with the characteristic jagged markings. It is generally seen as the prince of
Pyrgus as it is large and boldly marked and highly localised. My friend Dave P was so delighted he sat on the track for half an hour admiring the photo of
foulquieri he had just taken.
Also at the same spot, a False Ilex Hairstreak (
Satyrium esculi). It can be exceptionally common – at the site where I saw the Purple Hairstreaks in the previous post, there were hundreds of
esculi. They are often very mobile, but this one was sedentary.
On to one of the highest Cols in Europe, I was very fortunate to see both Sooty Ringlet (
Erebia pluto) and this one Silky Ringlet (
E. gorge). They both fly almost incessantly up and down rocky scree, rarely stopping, except in overcast weather. Normally it is a case of standing at roadside at the bottom of the scree, but at this particular spot the roadside is at the top of the scree and they very occasionally come over the top of the scree and settle momentarily at the roadside. There has been some debate on David M’s report on the Greenwing’s tour in the Queyras regarding
gorge and False Mnestra Ringlet (
E. aethiopella) as to whether one or two photos were
gorge. I don’t think there was a clear outcome, but my feeling is that
gorge in this locality does not have ocelli while
aethiopella does.
On the north slope of the same Col but lower at around 2100m there was a particularly rich riverside spot with many different species, including this rarely-seen female Eros Blue (
Polyommatus eros)
On to the Queyras, Cynthia’s Fritillaries (
Euphydryas Cynthia) were out in good numbers, some reasonably fresh. It is sometimes quoted that
cynthia is the first species to fly after the snows have cleared, but that isn’t generally my experience (I would say that Dewy Ringlet (
E. pandrose) has that accolade) and certainly not the case this year. This is a male, with the iconic black/white/red pattern unique among fritillaries. Yes there is a piece of grass just below it; it was blocking the clear shot and I snipped it – it landed close to the subject, luckily not scaring it off.
On the north side of the Col d’Izoard, one of my favourite
Erebia, a Mountain Ringlet (
E. epiphron).
Still going north, east of Lyon, a species I see rarely as it does not occur in Var and probably not in the PACA region, a female Short-tailed Blue (
Cupido argiades) caught in the act of egg-laying on what I believe is Ribbed Melilot (
Melitotus officinalis).
And, finally, a very lucky find, a female Alcon Blue (
Phengaris alcon alcon), the lowland and wetland cousin of the more commonly-seen Mountain Alcon Blue (
P. a. rebeli). It had been egg-laying on Marsh Gentian (
Gentiana pneumonanthe) and was resting in the shade.
And the result of this activity, numerous eggs on the area of the Gentian where the flowers would emerge, although they had not done so yet. It took a while for us to be sure that it was
alcon as there was no evidence of the flowers.