www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

My daughter is off to the Adelboden area of Switzerland for a week at the beginning of August and so I wondered if there would be any particular butterfly species she should watch out for. I saw the earlier thread about Switzerland, but not sure if anyone has any info which is easier to digest... I'm sure there will be a few photos on her return, but an idea of what is most likely to be flying could be useful.

Cheers,

Trev

I've never been there but it's not too far from me - just the other side of the mountains on the north side of the Rhône Valley, where I spend a lot of time.

At that time of year things are fantastic at altitude (that is the time to do the high walks) and writing everything down would take a very long time! There will be lots of Erebia (in August one can easily see a dozen species in a single walk), for which pictures of ups and uns are usually needed! She will undoubtedly see Scotch argus and Arran brown, both of UK interest. It would be interesting to know which brassy ringlet flies there, so perhaps that could be one mission for her! Near me (Gryon, a little to the west) common brassy flies, but in the mountains of the Rhône Valley it is Swiss brassy. Another species that 'varies' along the length of the Valley is Alpine heath/Darwin's heath, which has all sorts of intermediate forms. So any altitude heaths would be very interesting.

She will see Apollos (and should check for small Apollos) and perhaps clouded Apollos though they may be over. Mountain clouded yellow, mountain and shepherd's fritillaries, all sorts of blues, including at high altitudes glandon blue, eros blue, cranberry blue, Alpine argus (that may be pretty tatty by then, even in this late year) and at lower altitudes damon blue, chalkhill blue, silver-studded blue (these fly high too). The Alpine form of Titania's fritillary is very striking and worth looking out for - it is common. There will be loads of Pyrgus skippers of various species - very difficult - but also silver-spotted skippers, which are quite common in the Alps.

In fact, you'll get a better idea of the possible species by looking at my year lists for recent years. The commentaries usually fade out rather by August but the species lists show what has been flying. This year's list is at http://www.guypadfield.com/butterflyyear.html and links to previous years. I've just returned from Spain so this year's list isn't updated to the present yet, but will be soon. Once I've done that I will try to keep it more or less in real time, so you should be able to see what is flying in the Alps when she goes.

Guy

I was at altitude in the Rhône Valley mountains just yesterday. Cynthia's fritillary was still on the wing, surprisingly, and so were cranberry blues, presumably because it has become such a late year. Those would be two excellent species to find! The trick is to go high, above the tree line, to the steep hills with juniper and cranberry and Alpenrose - then it's just luck.


(Female Cynthia's fritillary - 05/08/08)


(Male cranberry blue - 05/08/08)

Most of the other species I mentioned were flying too.

Guy

Haven't heard anything from my daughter in Adelboden yet, but I'm sure she is managing to get one or two snaps of butterflies whilst walking about with the (girl)guides.

My son should hopefully be back from his trip to the Pyrenees later tonight and I know he's been really enthusiastic about what he's seen.

Maybe some photos to identify in the not-too-distant future.

NB: Us (now penniless) parents have been left to fend for ourselves in the UK

Trev

My daughter didn't get many shots of butterflies in Switzerland - too much else to do with all the other guides - but there were a few...

The only one I'm pretty confident with is number 4 Scotch Argus...
So what about the first 3?






Trev

PS: My son went to the Eastern side of the Pyrenees (near Andorra), and got some pics there too, so there will be another batch of photos for "Padders" there.

Hi Trev,

I actually think that #4 is Arran Brown. And while I'm at it, let me make a real fool of myself before Guy comes along My guesses are:

#1 - Lesser Marbled Fritillary
#2 - Large Grizzled Skipper
#3 - Has me stumped. I originally thought Amanda's Blue, but give up!
#4 - Arran Brown

Cheers,

- Pete

Oops!... Yes Arran Brown. That's the one I meant

Trev

Make a fool of you, Pete? Never! And thanks Trev - I love a set of piccies to identify!!

But the first one is shepherd's frit (Boloria pales) all the same!! That means the photograph must have been taken at altitude - at least 1500m and generally much higher. On my local mountain it doesn't fly below 2000m.

The skippers are tricky, if not impossible, without an underside and an indication of size, but large grizzled (Pyrgus alveus) is certainly a possibility - the female especially does look like this species. I'm not totally happy with the male but there aren't actually that many possibilities, with the very weak hindwing markings and given that he's clearly not carline. He doesn't look right for olive, but without an underside there is no way of checking on that!

The blues are either common blue (Polyommatus icarus) or Eros blue (Polyommatus eros). If they were also taken at altitude there is a very good chance they are Eros. If they were not taken at altitude then they are definitely common, of course. My first thought when I looked at them was Eros, and often the eye knows on jizz what the brain doesn't know rationally!

The ringlet is, as Pete says, Arran brown (Erebia ligea).

Guy

Thank's guys (well, Guy and Pete )...

Karina says the frit was photographed in a valley between mountains, but I suspect it was still pretty high up

Many thanks,

Trev

Pete Eeles wrote:let me make a real fool of myself before Guy comes along

I think I can safely say I succeeded in my objective

Cheers,

- Pete

From the wings I'd say this is a female shepherd's fritillary, though the abdomen is half hidden. There is certainly no doubt it is Boloria (in the old sense, distinguishing it from Clossiana) - notice the 'colon' in the forewing cell - a classic feature of this genus. Given it is a female, mountain fritillary is excluded, because females of that species (which may be far less linear in their markings than the males) have beautiful diffractive sheens over the wings, in shades of blue, purple or even greenish.

I have once (September 2006) seen a female mountain fritillary at 600m altitude - that is my absolute lowest record and I know she was out of her home range. Shepherd's and mountain are both upland fritillaries, most readily seen above 2000m. So I suspect 'valley' is a relative term!!

Pete:

a) No one ever got anywhere without risking looking a fool!
b) I'm on home territory here!
c) I have been known to be wrong, including quite conspicuously on these forums!!!!

I still think you should leave your exigent pooches with the wife and children and take a trip to the Rhône Valley one day...

Guy

padfield wrote:I still think you should leave your exigent pooches with the wife and children and take a trip to the Rhône Valley one day...Guy

I think the lesson I've learned here is - you can't beat first-hand (and frequent) experience with these critters! Books, and the odd trip to see new species, doesn't quite cut it. Therefore, I think my trip to the Rhône Valley would have to be one-way I'll let you know what the wife thinks

Cheers,

- Pete