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From July 13 to July 26, I spent my summer holiday with my family in the Ubaye region in the Alps of southeastern France. This is a valley between the Mercantour and the Queyras with easy access to butterfly hot spots like the Col de la Cayolle, Col de Vars and Col de la Bonnette. Previous 2 years we stayed at the same location during the same weeks of July. I have about 2 hours at my disposal per day for butterfly watching and I usually visit earlier mentioned cols.

Previous years the most abundant butterflies were Large Ringlet, Common Brassy Ringlet (at higher altitudes), Dark Green Fritillary, Damon Blue, Idas Blue, Chalk-hill Blue and Carline Skipper. This time, I would see these species in much much lower numbers. I saw during these 2 weeks only 1 Common Brassy Ringlet and only a few tens of Dark Green Fritillary (even less Niobe Fritillary) and only small numbers of Damon and Chalk-hill blues. No Carline Skipper was observed until the very last day during a brief visit to Ceillac and surroundings. So the holiday ended with no Carline Skipper in the Mercantour - a situation absolutely inconceivable back in 2022, when the cols were almost infested with this species. Also, other species were either still flying in very low numbers (Apollo, Silvery Argus (just 1 individual) Marbled Ringlet (just 1 individual), Grisons Fritillary, Eros Blue) or still not flying at all (Silver-spotted Skipper, Shepherd's Fritillary, Lesser Marbled Fritillary). Some species only appeared to emerge during the second week of our stay, like False Heath Fritillary and Mountain Fritillary.

On the other hand, Large Blues and Osiris Blues were still flying in good numbers. The same applies to Mountain Dappled Whites, Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and Southern Grizzled Skippers. Also, Small and Essex Skippers were evidently flying in larger numbers than in 2022 and 2023. A Green Hairstreak was still present ad 1300m altitude and Orange-tips were present until the very last day of my holiday.
I recorded ~ 110 - 115 butterfly species during my trip (the exact number to be determined after reviewing all photographs), which is only marginally lower than the number of species recorded during 2023. Far more eye-catching were the very lower numbers in which these species were representing themselves.

I should note however, that the situation near Ceillac, which I visited (briefly) during the last day of my stay, seemed to be more normal(?) than in the northern parts of the Mercantour. At this location, large numbers of butterflies were flying around, with large numbers of Large Ringlets, lots of Mountain Fritillaries and several Carline Skippers.

Cheers, Bert-Jan Luijendijk

Species list 13 July to 26 July 2024

Hesperids

1. Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus flocciferus)
2. Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
3. Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
4. Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus)
5. Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami) – small numbers
6. Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides) – relatively numerous at higher altitudes, regularly in fresh condition.
7. Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae)
8. Dusky Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus cacaliae) – few at CdlC and CdlB
9. Alpine Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus andromedae) – only at Ceillac
10. Carline Skipper (Pyrgus carlinae) – only(!) at Ceillac
11. Foulquier’s Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus foulquieri) – only at Le Lauzet-Ubaye
12. Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius)
13. Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)
14. Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
15. Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)

No Silver spotted skipper yet, while it was previous years a daily visitor to the garden of my holiday home.

Lycaenids – Blues

16. Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) – one in Gap
17. Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli) – near Barcelonnette
18. Mountain Argus (Aricia artaxerxes)
19. Geranium Argus (Aricia eumedon) – abundant on still flowering geraniums
20. Silvery Argus (Aricia nicias) – only one at CdlB
21. Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – still abundant and still in good condition
22. Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris) – several at all visited locations
23. Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus)
24. Large Blue (Phengaris arion) – several tens at CdlC, some at CdlB and CdV
25. Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus)
26. Reverdin’s Blue (Plebejus argyrognomon) – pair at reliable location near Jausiers
27. Glandon Blue (Plebejus glandon) – small numbers at CdlB and CdlC
28. Idas Blue (Plebejus idas) – tens, not hundreds
29. Amanda's Blue (Polyommatus amandus) – very few at CdV
30. Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus)
31. Chalk-hill Blue (Polyommatus coridon) – few during 1st week, more during 2nd week
32. Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon) – few tens
33. Eros Blue (Polyommatus eros) – becoming more frequent from 2nd week
34. Escher's Blue (Polyommatus escheri)
35. Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
36. Ripart's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus ripartii) – near Barcelonnette and Le Lauzet-Ubaye
37. Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon) – few specimens near Jausiers and Ceillac

Missed out on Holy Blue. Also no Alpine Blue this year, despite visiting several suitable locations.

Coppers & Haistreaks

38. Purple-edged Copper (Lycaena hippothoe)
39. Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus)
40. Scarce Copper (Lycaena virgaureae) – only few
41. White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) – several at reliable location near Barcelonnette
42. Blue-spot Hairstreak (Satyrium spini) – only few ex at CdlC
43. Sloe Hairstreak (Satyrium acaciae)
44. Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) – one near Barcelonnette at 1300m

Missed out on Small Copper and Purple-shot Copper by not visiting Estenc.

Nymphalids – Fritillaries

45. High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe)
46. Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja) – only very few during first week, becoming more regular during second week
47. Niobe Fritillary (Fabriciana niobe) – remarkably scarce
48. Silver Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) – none(!) near Barcelonnette, only few near Le Lauzet-Ubaye
49. Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne) – few specimens at every location, some in remarkably fresh condition
50. Mountain Fritillary (Boloria napaea) – only from the second week near CdlB, having visited the very same location a week earlier. Numerous at ~ 2300m near Ceillac
51. Titania's Fritillary (Boloria titania) – few tens
52. Weaver’s Fritillary (Bolaria dia)
53. Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne)
54. Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
55. Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia) – widespread, but not very abundant
56. Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) – still present in fair numbers, some in fresh condition
57. False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina) – mainly from second week
58. Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
59. Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)
60. Grisons Fritillary (Melitaea varia) – only very few
61. Meadow Fritillary (Melitaea parthenoides)

No Cynthia’s Fritillary this year, despite repeated visits to quite reliable locations for this species at CdlC and CdlB. I could also not find any Shepherd’s Fritillary.

Nymphalids – Aristocrats

62. Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
63. Comma (Polygonia c-album)
64. Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)
65. Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia) – one near Le Lauzet-Ubaye
66. Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Missed out on Painted Lady. One large Emperor near Barcelonnette was probably a Purple Emperor but as I did not have my binoculars with me, I couldn’t clinch its identity. A reliable location for White Admiral – near my holiday home – was not visited.

Nymphalids – Satyrids
67. Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe)
68. Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania)
69. Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus)
70. Chestnut Heath (Coenonympha glycerion)
71. Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
72. Darwin’s Heath (Coenonympha macromma)
73. Alpine Heath (Coenonympha gardetta)
74. Arran Brown (Erebia ligea)
75. Almond-eyed Ringlet (Erebia alberganus)
76. Common Brassy Ringlet (Erebia cassioides) – one(!) at CdlC
77. Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron)
78. Large Ringlet (Erebia euryale)
79. Blind ringlet (Erebia pharte) – 4 at CdV (finally!)
80. Dewy ringlet (Erebia pandrose) – several ad CdlB (fresh)
81. Marbled Ringlet (Erebia montana) – one at CdlC
82. Sooty Ringlet (Erebia pluto) – few at CdlB
83. Silky Ringlet (Erebia gorge) – one at CdlB
84. Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans) – abundant near Ceillac
85. Large Wall (Lasiommata maera)
86. Wall (Lasiommata megera)
87. Northern Wall (Lasiommata petropolitana) – one near Ceillac
88. Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
89. Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon)
90. Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
91. Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
92. Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae) – few at reliable location near Barcelonnette
93. Great Sooty Satyr (Satyrus ferula)
94. Lesser Rock Grayling (Hipparchia genava)

No False Mnestra Ringlet, although I did not visit a very reliable location at CdlC.

Papilionidae

95. Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
96. Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
97. Apollo (Parnassius apollo) – very very few

No Small Apollo this year, despite repeated visits to quite reliable locations for this species at CdlC.

Pierids

98. Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
99. Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)
100. Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
101. Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea)
102. Mountain Clouded Yellow (Colias phicomone) – fairly good numbers
103. Moorland Clouded yellow (Colias palaeno) – few at Col de Vars
104. Mountain Dappled White (Euchloe simplonia) – nicely present at especially CdlB
105. Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
106. Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
107. Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)
108. Large White (Pieris brassicae)
109. Mountain Green-veined White (Pieris bryoniae)
110. Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
111. Small White (Pieris rapae)

To further expand my list I should probably also have visited Guillestre and surroundings (lower altitudes) to see species like Meleager’s Blue, Turquoise Blue, Brown Argus, Holy Blue, Short-tailed Blue, Black Satyr etc.

CdlC = Col de la Cayolle
CdlB = Col de la Bonnette
CdV = Col de Vars

Enjoyed reading this, Bert-Jan. I'm very familiar with the locations you visited and your experiences reflect mine in that area this summer, although I was there in both mid and late June.

Haven't seen Cynthia's Fritillary since 2022, when the first one was spotted at Col de la Lombarde on 16th June!!

This time, anywhere above 2,000m was a virtual dead-zone, with just a few mobile species on the wing (Small Tortoiseshell, Peak White, etc...)