www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Are you far from Fiesch?
Ian

padfield wrote: As I wandered back to the train I checked UK Butts and found Susie had lost a swallowtail. At exactly that moment, a swallowtail cruised past me! I can't recall seeing one in mid-October before so it must be Susie's, back where it belongs!

Guy

lol Guy! Glad to read she turned up in what looks like butterfly nivana from your beautiful photos.

Ian Pratt wrote:Are you far from Fiesch?
Ian

I live in the mountains near Villars-sur-Ollon, in Vaud; so, not very near Fiesch, though I was part of the way along the Valley to Fiesch today. The whole of Valais is excellent for butterflies.

Hope I answered the right question that time!

Guy

Many thanks. 10/10.Ian

Temperatures have plummeted. On Wednesday it snowed below 1000m and since then we have had clear days and freezing nights. This morning I cycled down to the valley at 10 am wearing a coat and gloves and still my hands were in pain from the cold the whole way.

When I arrived at my target site, at about 11.30 am, puddles were still frozen:



There was still frost on leaves in the shade in the early afternoon:



It was little surprise, then, that for the first hour I saw nothing but walls - dozens of them, sucking the last sweetness from the few remaining dandelions:



The first common blue appeared at 12.30 pm, followed one by one by other species, until by the time I left, at about 3.00 pm, I had clocked up 11 species. This picture gives an idea of the terrain:



Dry and rather barren, with very little to nectar on.

Here are the species still flying in the Rhône Valley:



Common blues became increasingly common as the ground heated up. Here is another:



You can see it is quite fresh - these are not just tail-enders.

I didn't see any Adonis blue before 2.00 pm but after that several put in an appearance:



This was the only Chapman's blue I found:



Small coppers are still common and in some cases nice and fresh:



No whites were flying but clouded yellows and Berger's pale clouded yellows were both drifting around:


(Clouded yellow)


(Berger's)

Near the vines I found this comma enjoying the discarded grapes, along with a few wasps:



Tree graylings were also around, but now in very small numbers:



A single grayling put in an appearance - just the one, but it was in reasonable condition:



Last, but not least, a few Queens were zooming in and out. This one is rather worn but some were much fresher:



I would say the fat lady has begun her final aria but it may turn out to be a long one!

Guy

Not a bad species count! Love the first CB picture...
Have fun and keep warm!
N

I nipped down to the woods in the afternoon to check on Aurelian. He is still on the same leaf as four weeks ago when I first found him:



While taking a second photo I noticed he had moved (he had flattened himself) in response to the leaf being handled, so after the second one I left him alone. I certainly don't want to chase him away from that spot.



His was the only friendly lep face in the woods; but further along, where the woodlands opened out and the track ran between meadows, a single red admiral was enjoying puréed apple:





I nearly got my bike past without flushing her (I try very hard not to disturb butterflies) but just at the last minute she flew and landed in a much more picturesque setting:



Guy

Thought this might appeal to you...
The Butterfly Catchers... N

Thanks Nick. After mentioning on another thread that I'd like butterflies to visit my grave, I should point out I don't actually want to be killed by them!

Today's trip to my autumn site was less successful than last week's because the little paddock had been recently grazed by a horse and foal (presumably, judging by the two sizes of dropping adorning it!). It is precisely because it is occasionally used by horses that the site is so rich in low-growing nectar plants, so I can't complain - but the horses had diligently removed every dandelion (except one) and all the other tasty flowers and there was nothing left for the butterflies. I saw 5 species along the path on the way: Adonis blue, wall, grayling, tree grayling and small copper.

Realising that even if butterflies came through the paddock they wouldn't stay, I changed my plans and headed off to another site, to look for ilex hairstreak eggs. I climbed a steep, shaley hill scattered with low oaks but didn't find any eggs. One problem is that the terrain is so difficult I was only able to check about 20 bushes and there are literally hundreds of them there. Finding the eggs involves a certain amount of luck! The site did produce one new species for the day: speckled wood.

It was warm and sunny today but distinctly end-of-season!


Small copper


My last grayling of the season?


Tree grayling


Speckled wood

Guy

Why are your Swiss Speckled Woods like our British ones, rather than the rich orange brown spotted French versions?

EDIT (GP): I've transferred this conversation to a new thread, as it's interesting but if carried on will break up my diary rather a lot!! It is here:

viewtopic.php?f=104&t=5852

I believe Aurelian intends to hibernate on his resting leaf. It is the last leaf on the branch, quite strong intrinsically, and he has apparently at least begun making it secure with silk. Here he is:



You can see the silver river running up the middle of the leaf. Here is a view of the stem from the side:



I didn't take any more pictures or manipulate the leaf to get better views because I don't want to disturb him or make him think that leaf is vulnerable!!

On the way back I found 6 red admirals guzzling scrumpy, of which there are three in this picture:



Another very warm day but no other butterflies on the wing.

Guy

With my autumn nectar site grazed to the turf I visited my winter site today, where in two or three months the first tortoiseshells and Queens will be sucking up the weak winter sunlight.

I arrived to a scuffle of Queens, all fighting for hotspots on the rocks, where they were pressing their wings hard flat against the surface:



As the morning wore on they spent more time nectaring:



Then, by mid afternoon, they were back to basking again:



Queens were probably the most numerous species, but others were more conspicuous, including an autumn flush of clouded yellows...



... and Berger's pale clouded yellows:



Here is that male in close-up:



Small whites are still numerous at this site:



But I didn't see any southern small whites, or even green-veined whites.

Here is a wall:



And here one of many red admirals cruising around today:



The surprise of the day, however, was this male holly blue feeding on a strawberry tree:



He's obviously a survivor and looks as though he's squared up to more than one gorging Phylloscopus warbler in the last week or so! Though he has no social life to look forward to he was thoroughly enjoying the nectar and was working his way through all the flowers on the tree, one by one.



The strawberry trees are ripening beautifully:



Now, if someone would just introduce some Chapman's green hairstreaks to the Rhône Valley...

Guy

Great stuff Guy- we are all very envious of you!

Yes,very envious-all those species still flying,some which we don't even get! But good work, Guy(though gritted teeth!).

Impressive indeed for November! I feel really sorry for that last remaining Holly Blue though. I guess he must feel a bit like the last Dodo.

Really battered Holly blues are not *that* unusual - there must be a chance that there are others around!

Lovely photos Guy.

Partial third broods of holly blue are known to occur in Switzerland. There may well have been more around a week or so ago, and as Matsukaze says, there may still be a battered female or two on the wing - I'm sure holly blues are better at finding each other than I am at finding them!

Guy

Great to see so many butterflies, Guy. Must have been a reasonable and quite long season this year...?
How many species so far? Expecting any more?
N

Hi Nick,

My website says I'm on 188 species in total at the moment, of which 161 were seen in Switzerland; but I think I missed some off, like geranium bronze, which I saw in Barcelona before I flew home in July. It was a great season and great weather, except for during July, when it was often miserable (but I was away in Spain some of July). I also didn't count any pale clouded yellows because I didn't net and examine them this season. The season began early and good second broods were produced; these finished relatively early, allowing third broods of certain species.

But no - I don't think there are any more year ticks coming. Season 2011 has put all its cards on the table and is picking up the last few to put back in the pack even as I write. I think...

Guy

I was wrong about Aurelian. When I popped in today to see if there was any change I discovered he had vacated his resting leaf. I have been told iris cats travel about 2.5m in the week before hibernation, so I scanned along all nearby branches and soon found him. He had crawled towards the middle of the bush and then back out along another branch - a total distance of about 2m. He had then positioned himself on a joint and I hope he will remain there!



I notice that the knobbly thing on his back is precisely on the vertex of the curve and mimics the knobbliness of the joint - coincidence or design?

Elsewhere, red admirals were building up to plague proportions. There were at least fifteen of them gathering at the squashed apples (and only one dead one, presumably got by one of the same vehicles that pressed the apples).





Guy