virtually N Greece 3
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:41 am
Continuing with trip to N Greece exactly a year ago, in lieu of any European trip this year...
and today I'm trying links to Flickr after Dropbox failure led me to repost with uploads on Saturday's post - hope this works
With Sunday due to be very hot again, I decided to head up to the Lailas ski resort/Mt Vrontou. As I drove up out of Serres, and the countryside started, I stopped in a layby and saw that the sage (?) bushes by the roadside were swarming with hairstreaks, which I took to be Ilex
As I followed the road it became more mountainous; a brief stop revealed a big temperature drop and a couple of ‘shivering’ Silver-studded Blues. Continuing up I entered a forest, mostly conifer, and then reached a deserted and crumbling former ski resort.
Wandering around a flat area at the base of a former ski run and ski lift, I first saw a couple of Pearl Bordered Fritillaries, and then some erebia species, Bright-eyed (oeme) or Woodland (medusa) ?
and a Northern (?) Wall Brown attached itself to one of my rucksack straps, then my shorts and wasn’t hard to tempt onto my hand for a closer look. Upperwings after it flew off and settled nearby, also Wall Brown nearby
I decided to walk up the steep ski lift path as there was a stiff wind and it was more sheltered. More erebia,
fritillaries, Heath and Queen of Spain,
Mazarine and Adonis Blues, the latter really odd to me perched on dried leaves rather than on chalk grassland...
Emerged from trees into heath type vegetation, but breeze and cloud cover restricted things on the move; Green Hairstreaks, and fritillaries hunkered down. Reached the summit of rocks as the sun reemerged – spectacular views all around and some scrapping ‘hilltopping’ Wall and N Wall Browns.
Early afternoon it brightened up so I explored the broader 'ski slope', and found a number of coppers including Sooty
Possible Balkan ?
Purple-shot ?
Also saw more fritillaries, Heath, Glanville and Niobe, and much more. Had a very happy hour meandering around until it clouded over, rapidly followed by thunder and a heavy downpour, so I decided to head back, review what I'd seen and plan my next day
and today I'm trying links to Flickr after Dropbox failure led me to repost with uploads on Saturday's post - hope this works
With Sunday due to be very hot again, I decided to head up to the Lailas ski resort/Mt Vrontou. As I drove up out of Serres, and the countryside started, I stopped in a layby and saw that the sage (?) bushes by the roadside were swarming with hairstreaks, which I took to be Ilex
As I followed the road it became more mountainous; a brief stop revealed a big temperature drop and a couple of ‘shivering’ Silver-studded Blues. Continuing up I entered a forest, mostly conifer, and then reached a deserted and crumbling former ski resort.
Wandering around a flat area at the base of a former ski run and ski lift, I first saw a couple of Pearl Bordered Fritillaries, and then some erebia species, Bright-eyed (oeme) or Woodland (medusa) ?
and a Northern (?) Wall Brown attached itself to one of my rucksack straps, then my shorts and wasn’t hard to tempt onto my hand for a closer look. Upperwings after it flew off and settled nearby, also Wall Brown nearby
I decided to walk up the steep ski lift path as there was a stiff wind and it was more sheltered. More erebia,
fritillaries, Heath and Queen of Spain,
Mazarine and Adonis Blues, the latter really odd to me perched on dried leaves rather than on chalk grassland...
Emerged from trees into heath type vegetation, but breeze and cloud cover restricted things on the move; Green Hairstreaks, and fritillaries hunkered down. Reached the summit of rocks as the sun reemerged – spectacular views all around and some scrapping ‘hilltopping’ Wall and N Wall Browns.
Early afternoon it brightened up so I explored the broader 'ski slope', and found a number of coppers including Sooty
Possible Balkan ?
Purple-shot ?
Also saw more fritillaries, Heath, Glanville and Niobe, and much more. Had a very happy hour meandering around until it clouded over, rapidly followed by thunder and a heavy downpour, so I decided to head back, review what I'd seen and plan my next day
