Day 14 we continued east into the Pyrenees-Orientales to a spot where Mountain Small White (
Pieris ergane) flies, the number of sites for this species in France are diminishing rapidly toward zero. It is an incredibly rich site which featured something I’ve never seen before – all three Gatekeeper species in one place – the British species (
Pyronia tithonus), Southern (P. cecilia) and Spanish (
P. bathseba). We did get to see
ergane but it was highly active and flying almost continuously up and down the steep sides of the ravine. Iberian Marbled Whites (
M. Lachesis) were very common, much as David M had found in Spain. We counted a total of 44 species, including one that was one of my main targets here – the Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (
Iphiclides feisthamelii), very similar to the more familiar Scarce Swallowtail (
I. podalirius) but slightly paler, and now classified as a separate species. The location was a long-abandoned quarry (aren’t they good!) and the steep slopes meant that the butterflies mainly flew up and down the slopes, so this was the best shot of
feisthamelii I could get.
Day 15 was a trek north to the region around Mont Lozère for Ottoman Brassy Ringlet (
E. ottomana) another highly localised (in France)
Erebia species – I realised in retrospect that the trip was focussed on rare
Erebia, with mixed success. It is a region that seems to get very little sunshine and 15 July was no exception. In several hours, all we got was a brief 20 minute spell of weak sun, but it did bring the butterflies to life, albeit briefly. I did manage to get a shot of a female
ottomana, clearly past its best, but chances to see a female of this species aren’t frequent, so here it is.
Also at this location, the sun persuaded this fresh male Titania’s Fritillary (
B. titania) to sit open-winged to warm up and then close up when it became overcast to show the beautiful purple marbling of the underside, showing that it was the subspecies
cypris.
Also making an appearance was a fresh False Heath Fritillary (
M. diamina) – why were these so fresh and the
ottomana so worn? – which closed up to show the subtle intricacy of its underside.
Day 16 and on to a location near a large lake in the departement of Lozère, a very natural and sparsely populated region of France. I have been there twice before, once in overcast weather but when the sun came out it exploded into life, and the second time in full sun when the butterfly density was just as good. Well, today was overcast until well into the afternoon and when there was weak sun, it was clear that most of the butterflies had given up for the day. If you travel around the mountainous areas you just have to accept that the weather will be against you some of the time, even three days in a row, as here, and keep your eyes peeled for roosters – this Spotted Fritillary (
M. didyma) was particularly appealing.
Day 17 and into the volcanic region of central France in the hope of seeing and getting photos of Sudeten Ringlet (
E. sudetica) subspecies
lioranus, which only flies in this very small region. I had been there some years before and found them at a peak which entails a telecabine ride to a peak, but on that occasion it was a windy day and they just settled low in the grass. Would today be any better? My wife was less than keen (quite a lot less than keen) on the telecabine, given the recent Italian disaster, but the weather was at least sunny. However… as we approached the location, it seemed to be rather busy with large numbers of Harley Davidsons holding a jamboree there, topped off by a triathlon event. So not the peaceful location we had hoped for. What was peaceful was the booking desk for the telecabine – cancelled because of wind. One of us was happy.
We went on to a local Col where I had seen
sudetica (and other
Erebia) before, but the sky was seriously overcast and the wind was gale force. Maybe the telecabine being cancelled was a good idea, I grudgingly have to admit.
Day 18 and we headed east into a damp and sparsely populated region of central France, to join the local experts to see Cranberry Fritillary (
B. aquilonaris) at a boggy site where they had been seen on the same date last year. No
aquilonaris yet – another piece of evidence suggesting that 2021 was a late year for most species, only a few Bright-eyed Ringlets (
E. oeme) and strange Alpine Heaths (
C. gardetta) with very enlarged ocelli – at an altitude of below 1400m, within range but way below its usual altitude range.
We had mentioned Large Chequered Skipper (
H. morpheus) to the local experts, who said that it flew not far from where we were, and would we like to go there. I think “no-brainer” is the phrase I’m looking for. Not only did we see 10+
morpheus, but also 29 other species within 500m. The distribution map for
morpheus is very strange – it is (unusually for France) a species of the west of the country, with stronghold areas and lots of isolated colonies. Where we were was the most easterly point of its distribution.
Day 19 and still going east, to a favourite spot east of Lyon where Dryad (
Minois dryas) and Lesser Purple Emperors (
Apatura ilia) fly. We did see one very fresh
dryas (another indicator of a late season) but the
ilia site had become a victim of the recent floods and was under 20cm of water. It’s going well.
However, there were a few butterflies nectaring nearby, including this Painted Lady (
Vanessa cardui), snapped as it rotated nectaring. Seeing fresh
cardui is slightly unusual as most that I see are showing signs of wear from migration. They may be common, but I was pleased to get these images, especially of the underside which is beautifully marked. It’s nice to see the rare species, but I hope I never lose sight of the intrinsic beauty of the more familiar species.
Day 20 and heading east into the serious Alps, near Briançon at a top secret site for Larche Ringlet (
E. scipio) which I visited last year and got one shot of a male which I believe was
scipio. I had doubts afterwards, but on further study, I think the main alternative can be ruled out, so
scipio it probably was. For detailed study in the Autumn.
On pulling the car off the road, there were large numbers puddling right there, including
Erebia ringlets, one of which looked suspiciously like
scipio. Not much doubt this time, with a view of the plain black underside to be sure.
The main location for
scipio was about 1km away up a rocky track with a steep rise of 140m in altitude. There were myriad just-defined rocky tracks leading up from this point and, as I had found the spot first time last year, I didn’t bother to consult the maps this year. Big mistake. I reached a point where I concluded this can’t be the right track and turned back and tried another track which soon became clear wasn’t right either. When I checked the maps later, I found I was only some 200m from the spot, on the first track. Lesson learnt, but at least I did get to see the target species.
8 days to go.