Autumn in the Rhône Valley
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:57 pm
After a very cold September the butterfly season seems to be at its last gasp here in Switzerland. It was sunny this morning, though, so I caught the tram down from my mountain and took a walk in the Rhône Valley, where things hang on the longest. Here are a few highlights:
Queen of Spain fritillaries (Issoria lathonia) are mostly looking fresh:
And feeling fresh:
Queens of Spain are continuously brooded here - I photographed my first for the year in January and have seen them every month since.
Southern small whites (Artogeia mannii) still around in good numbers. This is a male:
And this a female:
Still a few bright Adonis blues (Lysandra bellargus):
But this one seemed to have undersides on both surfaces of the wings!
This is a pair of Berger's pale clouded yellows (Colias alfacariensis). The female is in front - the male's colours have been lost by the camera:
This tree grayling (Neohipparchia statilinus) had seen better days (but I photographed plenty of fresher ones):
A single brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae) - this is not a competition photo...:
And my favourite non-butterfly insect - this male praying mantis:
Other species on the wing were: clouded yellow, small white, green-veined white, large white, common blue, baton blue, Chapman's blue, northern brown argus, wall, red admiral and small tortoiseshell.
Guy
Queen of Spain fritillaries (Issoria lathonia) are mostly looking fresh:
And feeling fresh:
Queens of Spain are continuously brooded here - I photographed my first for the year in January and have seen them every month since.
Southern small whites (Artogeia mannii) still around in good numbers. This is a male:
And this a female:
Still a few bright Adonis blues (Lysandra bellargus):
But this one seemed to have undersides on both surfaces of the wings!
This is a pair of Berger's pale clouded yellows (Colias alfacariensis). The female is in front - the male's colours have been lost by the camera:
This tree grayling (Neohipparchia statilinus) had seen better days (but I photographed plenty of fresher ones):
A single brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae) - this is not a competition photo...:
And my favourite non-butterfly insect - this male praying mantis:
Other species on the wing were: clouded yellow, small white, green-veined white, large white, common blue, baton blue, Chapman's blue, northern brown argus, wall, red admiral and small tortoiseshell.
Guy