David M wrote:By the way, how far from Crans-sur-Sierre golf course are you? I was watching coverage last weekend and I could have sworn one of the valley shots was identical to those you regularly post.
When I say 'Rhône Valley' I usually mean somewhere along the valley, or up a tributary valley, between Martigny and Brig. That's quite a long way, but it's a straight valley and the views looking one way or the other can be pretty similar! I am often near Sierre but rarely go up on the Crans side, even though it has great significance for me. It was while holidaying with a tetraplegic friend (he paid everything, I was wheelchair muscle!) in Crans many years ago that I decided to get a job in Switzerland. He used to get up late. One morning, having got up and out long before him, I suddenly realised what a staggeringly beautiful place it was, so I popped into the tourist office and got a booklet of all the international schools in Vaud. I then worked through the booklet until one of them (Aiglon College) said they needed a maths teacher for the coming term. I popped over for a quick interview and that was that.
Today, indeed, I was down in the Rhône Valley, after nipping into my local woods to see if Tiberius was around (no trace of him to be found) and into another local site to film male long-tailed blues before the day got too hot and they got too aggressive. This one opened its wings beautifully for me while it nectared on bird's foot trefoil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRGRF79CkRc[/video]
In the valley proper there was much flying but still rather less than this time last year. That said, every autumn seems to be different and today, like last week, there were southern white admirals on the wing - something I've never seen before in September.
This species has really thrived this year.
As usual, tree graylings defined the autumn scene...
... with 'ordinary' graylings scattered sparsely among them:
There's nothing ordinary about graylings, I must add - they are very special butterflies.
Plenty of blues, again as to be expected. Here is a sample:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/bellargus1211.jpg)
(Adonis)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/coridon1208.jpg)
(Chalkhill)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/icarus1212.jpg)
(Common)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/thersites1203.jpg)
(Chapman's)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/dorylas1211.jpg)
(Turquoise)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/alcetas1212.jpg)
(Provençal short-tailed)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2012/artaxerxes1207.jpg)
(Northern brown argus)
I saw a single, very tattered, baton blue, which didn't settle.
This looks like a pretty scene with a Provençal short-tailed blue peacefully nectaring:
Appearances can be deceptive. The blue is dead and is being held up by an amazingly camouflaged spider, whose legs you can just make out poking up from the flower in the picture above, near the abdomen. The spider had got the shade of yellow spot on.
Skippers seem to be all but over. I saw a single Pyrgus skipper today, which I believe to be rosy grizzled, but it flew before I could see the underside and I couldn't follow it as it buzzed off.
It is entirely compatible with late generations of rosy grizzly, which often have very well marked hindwings.
There were plenty of speckled woods lurking in the autumnal verges:
The whites were into what must be their third brood, with some very fresh specimens about. This is a southern small white:
The grapes are fat and ready for picking:
Indeed, in a sunny bend in the path I took back to the station there were tables and glasses all laid out for some pre-
vendange party to which I wasn't invited... The Swiss take their wine very seriously.
Guy