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Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:07 pm
by millerd
I reckon there are definitely six and maybe even seven in the second picture...
What a brilliant butterfly!
Dave
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 7:26 am
by LancsRover
On a trip out to see the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, which is up a steep hill, behind the town of ROSES, we stopped halfway up and I took a look along a dusty dry track.
It was very warm as usual about 26c and there was plenty flying; Bath Whites, Small Whites, Common Blues, Walls, Great-Banded Grayling, Striped Grayling(the only one I had seen all the trip and no pic.
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
), Mallow Skipper and 5 or 6 large butterflies, maybe T/T Pasha, I can't say for sure, as they were flying so fast and never landed
![Mad :x](./images/smilies/icon_mad.gif)
, other wildlife seen were, praying mantis,spiders(big),bees(big),bugs,goats and crazy(nice) kids on 3 wheeled go-carts(?) hurtling down the road, doing wheel-spins for me
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
a great day out in a great country.
Russ
Quality of some pics. not great, it can be hard work in the baking heat
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:28 am
by Chris Jackson
Hi Russ,
Your "Funny bug" is a Graphosoma lineatum lineatum = Italian Striped-Bug or Minstrel Bug (I get them over my way in the South of France, and I'm just starting to take an interest in shield bugs now whenever I see any).
Another detail, your second Bath White appears to be on Dittrichia viscosa (Sticky Fleabane) which is abundant now around me and Colin (CFB), further east, and really attracts any remaining butterflies at the end of the season. This plant probably covers the whole of the mediterranean coast.
I'm interested in knowing what your spider is because I have the same in my garden.
Cheers, Chris
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 12:37 pm
by Mikhail
The bug is actually Graphosoma semipunctatum. It differs from G.lineatum in having the stripes on the pronotum broken up into separate spots. The big "bee" is the big fly Tachina grossa, which parasitises large lep. larvae. Do you have a picture of the dorsal surface of the spider?
M.
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 1:55 pm
by Chris Jackson
Thanks Mikhail,
You're right about the shield bug - I checked it in google, and I've corrected my records.
So Russ is wiser as well now
Chris
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 8:38 am
by Charles Nicol
lovely pics Russ !! i'm glad the youngsters are wearing crash helmets
Charles
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 12:34 pm
by Sylvie_h
Your unusual bee is not a bee, it is a hoverfly mimicking a bee. I believe it is a kind of Volucella but will need to check in my book. Will come back to you on the identification if I can find it. It is very interesting, I can't recall seeing anything like it before.
Sylvie
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 3:35 pm
by Paul Wetton
The unusual Bee is a fly as mentioned by Mikhail called Tachina grossa with the skull like head
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:36 pm
by Chris Jackson
LancsRover wrote: .... Walls, Great-Banded Grayling, Striped Grayling(the only one I had seen all the trip and no pic.
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
), ........ a great day out in a great country.
Russ
Hi Russ,
A comment about the Striped Grayling mentioned above that you didn't get a photo of: this year at my latitude (Marseilles), the Striped Grayling first appeared 3 weeks ahead of schedule due to the early season following the mild winter, and ended also 3 weeks early (mid September).
et voilĂ !!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
It helps to have knowledgeable friends in low (southern) places
Chris
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 6:36 pm
by LancsRover
Sorry I've taken so long to reply to all the comments/interest but I'm on my way home through France at the moment and I've been off line most of the time.
Russ
Thanks Mikhail for your comments, I'm sorry I don't have anymore pics of the spider.
Cheers Charles, I'm just glad I was off the road when they came down the hill, they came down at least 3 times from top to bottom(about 1 mile).
Thanks Mikhail,Sylvie & Paul for your comments on the bee which is not a bee, I learn so much on this site
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
.
Cheers Chris for all your comments/info. esp. on the Striped Grayling, I did get a pic of one but it was so pale that you couldn't tell what it was from the photo, there's always next year, I hope!
I've posted the 3 butterflies that look a little similar from underneath, if your know what I mean, I still get mixed up with LSTB and LTB, I'm OK with Geranium Bronze having seen them in 3 different countries(Spain,France and Italy), still a beautiful b/f to see again and again.
All pics taken around Aquarius camp site
Russ.
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:22 am
by LancsRover
Hi All,
This report is for those of us who(m) are interested in other things as well as butterflies, (esp. Mikhail after having checked out his amazing pictures).
I hope I'm not breaking any unwritten UKB rules here.(no b/f's in the report)
If anybody can put names to these creatures I would be grateful.
I have given the pics. coloured names for ID purposes
Again, everything is from the sand dunes and nat. reserves close to our camp site.
Russ.
Ps back to butterflies next report.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:29 am
by Charles Nicol
the spider could be a Wasp Spider... i have seen them in the South of France.
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 12:17 pm
by Mikhail
The spider is indeed the Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi, which is now quite common in much of southern England.
The orange grasshoppers are final instar nymphs of the Egyptian Grasshopper Anacridium aegyptium. This species matures in the autumn and overwinters as an adult.
The next picture shows a Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula. It is expanding its range and has been recorded from GB. I found it two years running at Canford Cliffs, Poole.
The next two pics show the solitary phase of the Migratory Locust Locusta migratoria.
Finally, you have two shots of Acrida ungarica, the Snouted Grasshopper.
M.
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 6:56 am
by LancsRover
Cheers Charles for the spider info. I was taking a photo of a mallow skipper when I looked down and saw it about 6 inches from my bare leg
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
.
Many thanks Mikhail for not only the ID's but all the very interesting info. you provided on each creature, and quick response.
Sorry about my delayed response, I've been off line a few days.
Cheers Russ.
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:01 am
by LancsRover
Aquarius camp site,bay of Roses,
26/9/14- Green-veined Whites mating.
29/9/14- Small Whites mating.
30/9/14-We went out late afternoon following a long night of very heavy rain, with many local fields flooded. We cycled down to the nat. reserve near to the river, as usual the sun was out and there were plenty of Plain Tigers and Whites about. We stayed on the main tracks (with all the water about) and came across a small white struggling on the ground, it kept trying to fly but could only get a couple of inches off the ground, I tried to pick it up from underneath it but I think I was stressing it out, so I left it there on the track and hoped it recovered, it looked in good condition( see pic. below).
Further down the track we spotted what looked at first like a mating pair of Large Whites but after a few pics and studying it closely, we could only see one body but the wings were splayed in all direction, it wasn't nectaring and hardly moved, even when molested by another white.
Were these whites damaged/exhausted or even dying after the really heavy night of rain?
I often think how tough our butterflies are, considering all the bad weather they have to put up with even in summer.
Any comments?
Russ
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:15 am
by Chris Jackson
Hi Russ,
Re your spider from Oct 07, Mikhail very kindly put a name to my spider which bears a resemblance, see link below.
Make of it what you will.
Chris
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7991
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 1:55 pm
by Catteraxe
The spider does resemble a St Christopher's Cross spider. But I could well be wrong...
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 3:05 pm
by Padfield
Just for the record, your large white is a green-veined white.
Guy
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 7:49 pm
by LancsRover
Hi all, Last bits and pieces from Spain, a few birds, a Speckled Wood(southerly subspecies), a five-spotted Burnett and what I think is some kind of wasp's nest(I stand to be corrected, again!) which was in the middle of a field of rough grass, about 2 feet off the ground, just attached to a few stems of the same, never seen a nest so exposed.
Cheers Russ
ps still a few butterflies to report from France, on my way back home.
Re: France/Spain 2014
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:07 pm
by Mikhail
Your wasps look like paper wasps of the genus
Polistes, possibly
P.biglumis. They can give a painful sting if you get too close to their nest, believe me. See:
http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/ins ... 16997.html
M.