Greenwings: Montes Universales, Spain, 27 July - 5 August 2019

[David M]

This is the second time I have visited this region of Spain, and it has already become possibly my favourite part of Europe for butterflying.

In terms of species range, it cannot compete with the 130+ that can be seen in the French Alps in early July, but what it provides is a late season extravaganza of 100 or so species, a few of which can be seen in the thousands, and many of which are Iberian specialities, or in some cases, endemic to this small pocket of Spain.

The weather is practically guaranteed sunny and warm at this time of year, and it also helps that the hotel location is situated in one of the most spectacular historic villages in the whole of Europe.

I had never heard of Albarracin until last year, and I feel quite guilty about that.

It is seemingly largely unknown even to Spaniards, but it is undoubtedly a place that merits greater publicity/patronage.

Here is a selection of images of this enchanting place:

[David M]

The general countryside is rather arid looking, and although the plateau is 1,200m or so on average, you rarely feel as though you are at altitude as these mountains are not precipitous; instead, they undulate gradually and are not so imposing as, say, the Pyrenees or the Alps.

Here are a few images of the landscapes to be found in this region.

Ramblas are dried up watercourses which retain sufficient moisture to allow plant growth through the summer. Many of these are larval host plants, and you can expect to see the likes of Spanish Chalkhill Blue, Southern Marbled Skipper and Oberthur's Anomalous Blue in this habitat:

Any spot where rivers flow attracts butterflies, often in the multi-hundreds. Water is at a premium in this hot, dry part of Spain and damp mud along the banks will usually see myriads of the smaller species, such as Cinquefoil & Sage Skipper, along with plenty of lycaenids:

These locations are even better when there are sunken areas which retain moisture and allow plants to flourish:

Steep sided, wooded slopes keep the sun off the grassland for a good part of the day. These green areas are literally awash with thousands of butterflies:

[John Vergo]

Hi David
Looking forward to see the butterflies David
john

[David M]

..Looking forward to see the butterflies David

Thanks, John. There are plenty to come, believe me! This part of Spain can provide staggering numbers in the best areas.

[David M]

The best places of all are where all the desirable factors fall into juxtaposition - water, sheltered slopes, absence of grazing, etc. This series of meadows held huge numbers of butterflies comprising a vast range of species:

Higher altitude places aren't damp and grassy like they are in the Pyrenees, Alps, etc, but they still attract the odd habitat specialist, such as Spanish and Southern Mountain Argus:

Even in seemingly sparsely vegetated areas, rewards can be had. These rocky habitats are attractive to Southern Hermit, Black Satyr and various Graylings:

....and then there are just special places, such as this Zapater's Ringlet paradise:

[essexbuzzard]

Looking forward to this one...

[David M]

Looking forward to this one...

Yes, it will bring back memories for you, Mark.

I'm pleased to say that a year's experience in the area led to fundamental changes, so this year there were no stressful airport incidents and a good deal less driving.

Furthermore, all the best sites were condensed into the time period we had available, and everything was better for it.

I also had time to do proper research, and that paid dividends, as you will see.

[selbypaul]

As you know David, I saw your report on this holiday from last year on this forum, and booked this years holiday as a result.

The holiday lived up to my expectations, and more. More than 100 species, 22 of which were new to me. Made all the more enjoyable by yours and Jon's expert guidance and good company.

Other readers, I encourage you to sign up to the 2020 holiday!

[David M]

Thanks for the comments, Paul. Yes, this trip is almost certainly my favourite one now, even though I've only been there twice!!

It helps that I don't have to spend hours consulting the local weather forecasts. Here, you go to bed knowing that when you wake up the following morning it will be clear and sunny all day.

The icing on the cake is Zapater's Ringlet, which I now know are not anything like as scarce as we thought.

[David M]

Nymphalidae - erebia...

Each trip has a particularly iconic butterfly species, and although Southern Hermit is highly desirable, even that is eclipsed by the curious Zapater's Ringlet here.

There aren't too many erebia in Spain once you leave the northern mountain ranges behind, and zapateri certainly has a monopoly on the Montes Universales at this time of year.

During the inaugural trip last year, only 3 were seen, and two of those were fly-bys. This year, during the group period, around 10 were seen, although again they tended to turn up singly and were always reluctant to hang around for images. At one stage, I thought the best I was going to get was this hastily taken shot from 10 yards distance:

All that changed though after the group had returned home and I was left with three days on my own during which time I made an effort to try to understand the behaviour of this butterfly.

[David M]

Nymphalidae - erebia...

On the Saturday morning, I returned to probably the most verdant site visited during the tour and proceeded to comb every part. Eventually, in a wooded area where several trees had been felled on a sheltered north-west facing slope I found the butterfly in good numbers.

Like Speckled Woods, they tended to remain within the light woodland, unperturbed by the largely shady conditions, every so often coming out into the open to presumably scour for mates and take nectar.

Like many erebia, they were attracted by human perspiration too, and it wasn't long before they latched onto my rucksack, camera bag and even my trousers!

[David M]

Nymphalidae - erebia...

I revisited the same site on the Sunday and counted 44 zapateri, and the following morning before I returned to the airport I saw another two dozen+, so this species is not at all uncommon if you can find the right habitat.

Additionally, it is far more prone to settle in the mornings, particularly between 10.30 and 11.30, prior to the heat making them supercharged:

Previously, we had generally been looking for them in the afternoon, which goes some way to explain why they were always on the move. Prior to midday, they tend to come down quite readily:

They will also take nectar from certain flowers. So far, I've seen them on thistles, scabious, eryngium and lavender. Here's one in the company of an Iberian Marbled White:

[David M]

Nymphalidae - erebia...

To finish off the zapateri story, I have attached two short videos showing the behaviour and flight of this endearing little butterfly.

Sadly, the females emerge some days later than the males and I didn't knowingly see any, but given the numbers of males I suspect by mid-August mating pairs shouldn't be that difficult to observe.

I would say I was so enchanted with this species that it has now elevated itself to #2 in my list of favourite butterflies, behind Brown Hairstreak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zamYnKDFX8Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zamYnKDFX8Y[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28JvsbWTEiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28JvsbWTEiU[/video]

[John Vergo]

Thats super stuff David

[David M]

Thats super stuff David...

Thanks, John. 'Super Stuff' is easy to come by in this region.

Nymphalidae - erebia

1. Zapater's Ringlet

[David M]

Nymphalidae - Aristocrats....

Not a great deal to report here - many, many Painted Ladies, the majority of which were in a faded state, a few Commas, the odd Peacock floating by....

The most notable sighting was of this Nettle Tree Butterfly holding territory near a damp spot:

Just two Small Tortoiseshells and two Red Admirals were recorded. The other member of this group seen in smallish numbers (no more than a dozen) was Southern White Admiral, although they too were past their best:

[David M]

Nymphalidae - Aristocrats

2. Red Admiral
3. Painted Lady
4. Peacock
5. Small Tortoiseshell
6. Comma
7. Nettle Tree Butterfly
8. Southern White Admiral

[essexbuzzard]

Hats off David for taking the extra time finding Zapater’s in new areas, should make the trip even better in future if you can take clients there.

Interesting observation regarding early morning viewing, too. Although none of us thought of it, it’s not so surprising when you think about it. That bit of knowledge and experience should pay dividends on future trips. The more time you spend there, the better this trip will be. And it was pretty flippin good to start with!

[David M]

Thanks, Mark. Yes, after a mere two years I think we're close to getting it all 'boxed off'.

Nymphalidae - Fritillaries

As you would expect, there was a plethora of Fritillaries to be found during the week, although many were starting to show signs of wear, particularly Niobe, Lesser Marbled and Twin Spot, although I did manage to find one hecate in presentable condition:

There were lots and lots of High Browns, quite a few Dark Greens, but the king of them all is the glorious Cardinal. I'd say I saw about a dozen:

Silver Washed & Queen of Spain were regulars, although there weren't too many of the smaller Fritillaries, with Knapweed, Provençal and Spotted Frit only seen in small numbers.

[David M]

Nymphalidae - Fritillaries

9. Silver Washed Fritillary
10. Cardinal
11. Dark Green Fritillary
12. High Brown Fritillary
13. Niobe Fritillary
14. Queen of Spain Fritillary
15. Lesser Marbled Fritillary
16. Twin-Spot Fritillary
17. Knapweed Fritillary
18. Spotted Fritillary
19. Provençal Fritillary