www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hello,

I'll be going to Corsica (nr Calvi) in the 3rd week of August and was wondering what sort of things i should be looking for, and if there are any well known sites to visit?

Many thanks in advance!

Chris

Chris
Without a doubt, the most important thing to look for in Corsica may be seen virtually every day.
Just look upwards, and in the (unfamiliarily blue) sky, you will see a massive orange blob.
This is called the sun, and is a really rare sight in your homeland of Yorkshire.
have fun.
Roger

Hi Chris,

We spent 2 weeks in September 2003 (second and third week) in Corsica (doing some camping in Galeria about 50kms from Calvi on the west coast).
We went there for doing some snorkeling. Unfortunately, this was the year where Europe was hit by a severe heat wave during the summer and everything seemed finished so we did not see many butterflies: I briefly managed to identify a Monarch, brown argus and various blues, all seen near the coast. You may find that the season for butterflies is not over though if you go higher up -Corsica has some lovely mountains up to 2000m I believe-. You will need a car though. Be aware that most of the roads are damaged (pot holes everywhere) and that it will take you a long time to drive a distance of 50kms, so if you can it would be better to hire a 4x4. You are very lucky to go there. Corsica is a beautiful island and even if you don't see many butterflies, it is worth going snorkeling, the water is very clear and in some places it has a turquoise colour like in the Bahamas, you will see a lot of beautiful fish!!
Sylvie

Thanks Both... we are actually staying in the mountains and we've hired a car, so I'll remain optimistic. As Roger says, as long as there's sun, who cares!!

You do know that there are some species unique and endemic to Corsica, such as the fabulous Corsican Swallowtail, Fritillary, Heath etc?

Whether you’re there at the right time or in the right localities, is another matter. There are some details in Tolman & Lewington and on Matt Rowlings site:
http://eurobutterflies.com/species_index.htm