N Greece virtually day 4
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 8:46 am
Monday (of my June 2019 trip to N Greece/Lake Kerkiniti/S Rhodopi mountains) I decided to head NE of the lake. A slightly cooler morning, I drove out of Sidirokastro into a winding valley, with wooded areas lower down giving way to scrubbier dry areas whenever the road ascended, and with roadside meadows and fields, making for a variety of habitats to be explored. First roadside stop revealed some blues, Small, Brown Argus, Common, and a Holly Bush with more than a dozen Ilex Hairstreaks taking in the early morning sun. Next stop, I spotted a tall grassy flower meadow and went for a wander, finding Hermit, another first for me
A Yellow Banded Skipper
A Lesser Spotted Fritillary (crescent shaped submarginal markings ?)...
In a shady area I spotted my first Anomolous Blue
And a Marbled Skipper (Tufted/Oriental ?) posed briefly
At another roadside meadow near a cave/shrine, I came across a bramble patch alive with Marbled Fritillaries, Southern White Admirals and Ilex, White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks, which as a fan of Hairstreaks, accustomed to squinting at treetops in England, was a glimpse of heaven
Soon after I came to the village of Kapnofyto, parked under a shady tree and set off to explore. Reports I'd seen mentioned an abandoned orchard, and as I came to the top of the village I did find an area that could match that description, and it was a treasure trove. A spreading fig tree merged with a white mulberry, under which many ripe fruit had accumulated and were fermenting. This was attracting Large Tortoiseshells, Lattice Browns, Great Banded Graylings and Commas (not a Southern to be seen though) amongst others...
In a more open area, 2 mtr tall thistles were attracting Hermits, Swallowtails and Cardinals
And to make my hairstreak day even better, I glanced up into the fig and there sat a Brown Hairstreak
A couple of Camberwell Beauties were defending different parts of the orchard, but would either alight wings shut, or just out of reach
As the temperature soared, I just sat under the shade of the mulberry tree for a while watching the butterflies and skittering green/blue lizards
On the way back I stopped at a bridge where I hoped to see some puddling action; not a great deal but saw this Osiris Blue, as a Stork ambled past
Back at the guesthouse I enjoyed a cold beer sat on my verandah overlooking the lake watching circling pelicans, swifts etc
As I took the vineyard path down to the village taverna, I could hear snuffling and grunting noises behind a bramble hedge, so kept quiet, and a couple of faces appeared along the track...wild boar, wild pig anyone ?
Halfway through and my trip was more than meeting my expectations
A Yellow Banded Skipper
A Lesser Spotted Fritillary (crescent shaped submarginal markings ?)...
In a shady area I spotted my first Anomolous Blue
And a Marbled Skipper (Tufted/Oriental ?) posed briefly
At another roadside meadow near a cave/shrine, I came across a bramble patch alive with Marbled Fritillaries, Southern White Admirals and Ilex, White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks, which as a fan of Hairstreaks, accustomed to squinting at treetops in England, was a glimpse of heaven
Soon after I came to the village of Kapnofyto, parked under a shady tree and set off to explore. Reports I'd seen mentioned an abandoned orchard, and as I came to the top of the village I did find an area that could match that description, and it was a treasure trove. A spreading fig tree merged with a white mulberry, under which many ripe fruit had accumulated and were fermenting. This was attracting Large Tortoiseshells, Lattice Browns, Great Banded Graylings and Commas (not a Southern to be seen though) amongst others...
In a more open area, 2 mtr tall thistles were attracting Hermits, Swallowtails and Cardinals
And to make my hairstreak day even better, I glanced up into the fig and there sat a Brown Hairstreak
A couple of Camberwell Beauties were defending different parts of the orchard, but would either alight wings shut, or just out of reach
As the temperature soared, I just sat under the shade of the mulberry tree for a while watching the butterflies and skittering green/blue lizards
On the way back I stopped at a bridge where I hoped to see some puddling action; not a great deal but saw this Osiris Blue, as a Stork ambled past
Back at the guesthouse I enjoyed a cold beer sat on my verandah overlooking the lake watching circling pelicans, swifts etc
As I took the vineyard path down to the village taverna, I could hear snuffling and grunting noises behind a bramble hedge, so kept quiet, and a couple of faces appeared along the track...wild boar, wild pig anyone ?
Halfway through and my trip was more than meeting my expectations
