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April in Andalucia
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:37 pm
by Andy.bn
I will be on holiday in Andalucia, southern Spain during the 2nd week of April and I'm wondering if anyone has any notable butterfly sites they would recommend, particularly in range of the Estepona area. It will be early in the season, but I hope there will be a few species on the wing. I have studied the Collins guide for European butterflies; which other (preferably fairly pocket sized) guides, would people recommend for Europe?
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:09 am
by Padfield
April is not early at all for AndalucĂa - in fact, it should be a really good time to go. Other members on these forums regularly go there/live there so I'll leave it to them to suggest sites. But even in February I've had some good butterflying. See
http://www.guypadfield.com/butterflyyear2007.html for details of my most recent trip, to Gibraltar, in February 2007. Then, I regretted not seeing Provence hairstreak (
Tomares ballus)- it must have been just too early. This lovely little butterfly should certainly be on the wing in April.
Guy
PS - The Collins guide is undoubtedly the best, but because of its lack of descriptions (in the most recent editions, by Tolman) it is not necessarily the easiest for a beginner. Obviously, I've no idea how experienced you are. Lafranchis is a useful complement:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Butterflies-Eur ... 195&sr=8-1
This one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mitchell-Beazle ... 276&sr=1-1 is surprisingly good for such a small volume, but out of print.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:54 am
by Sylvie_h
Hi Guy,
You are right to say that Provence Hairstreaks should be flying already at this time of year.
I was in Andalucia first week of April of 2007 and it was there that I saw them for the first time, I was surprised to see how hairy these butterflies were.
I saw them in the Benalauria area further up in the mountains.
Sylvie
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:41 pm
by Matsukaze
Interesting sightings in Gibraltar, Guy. I am going not too far from there in a couple of weeks (Cape Trafalgar area) but had not really expected to see any butterflies. Now I am quite excited! What sort of habitat should I be looking for to find the festoons and Tomares ballus?
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:16 pm
by Padfield
Hi Matsukaze,
You have the books, so you know the formal requirements for these species. I can really add only the feel. In Gibraltar, Spanish festoons fly on the southern slopes of the Rock - very hot, rather steep, with low but often dense Mediterranean flora. This photo is taken at a prime site:
I lived in Gibraltar throughout 1983 and found
ballus quite commonly. It preferred less exposed regions, typically rather sheltered with short grass. I got quite used to the butterfly but have never seen it since, as I hardly ever go south early enough. Sadly, I was, I think, too early in 2007, and I suspect you will be too early this year too (but always worth looking). In 1983 I arrived on the Rock on 8th February and immediately went for a walk around the southern slopes. I saw what was then known as Moroccan Orange Tip that first day. There won't be huge numbers of butterflies flying when you go in a couple of weeks but I'm sure it will seem like butterfly paradise in the midst of this cold, long winter!!
Guy
PS - I think this is the
Aristolochia species the festoons were using:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2007/aristolochia071.jpg)
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:22 pm
by Matsukaze
Thanks Guy, just checking out satellite pics of a few potential sites now...
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:15 pm
by Andy.bn
Guy & others,
Thats pretty exciting news, I'm quite hopeful now of having a few sightings. I'm familiar with most of the Uk butterflies, but the foreigners are a different matter altogether. I can really only recall seeing Swallowtails when I was in Italy several years ago; it may be a case of trying for a reasonable photo and confirming the id later. Principally it's a trip for a group of birders, so I'm an interloper! I will see if the library can get a copy of the Lanfranchis guide.
Cheers, Andy.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:35 pm
by Pete Eeles
Hi Andy - you're welcome to borrow my Lafranchis and Collins - but I will want them back when you return!
Are you attending the Hants social at the end of the month (or the moth conference in early March)? I can bring them along.
Cheers,
- Pete
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 8:34 pm
by Padfield
Matsukaze and others might be interested in the Spanish Festoon pupation video I've been sent, which I have mentioned in another post:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3946
Guy
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 7:55 pm
by Andy.bn
Pete,
That's a generous offer, I would be pleased to borrow your Lafranchis guide and will aim to see you at the social afternoon on 27th February.
cheers from Andy.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 12:58 am
by Matsukaze
Flying in Andalucia in the last week (mostly in southern Cadiz province):
Large White (many)
Small White (many)
possibly other white species
Spanish Festoon (1, presumably male from the behaviour - it was perching and chasing off intruding whites)
Speckled Wood (a few)
Clouded Yellow (3, all fresh and close to the coast)
Red Admiral (1, fresh and close to the coast)
No definte Painted Ladies, but a couple of 'possibles' along road verges.
Conditions in southern Spain are extremely wet, with extensive flooding and waterlogging.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:32 pm
by Andy.bn
Thanks for the update on the ground, Matsukaze. I'd heard Spain has been suffering some grotty weather of late. I've not seen any hibernators waking up in my part of Hampshire so far, despite a couple of sunny and almost warm enough days to start this week.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:00 pm
by Matsukaze
Oddly enough, I haven't seen any hibernators yet either - all the butterflies I saw in Spain were early-emerging types.
Whether the Clouded Yellows and Red Admiral had emerged locally, or crossed the straits from Morocco, I have no idea.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:32 pm
by Andy.bn
I have returned from Andalucia after a very succesful birding trip with 116 species seen by our group of nine people.
![Surprised :o](./images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif)
It was somewhat less than spectacular for butterflies, not helped by a couple of days with incredible wind strength, with around 10 species seen, (8 of which occur in the UK!) The main highlights being a Provence Hairstreak, Clouded Yellows, several Wall Browns at the Alhambra gardens and a Swallowtail of the foreign type.
![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
I can't be more specific on the latter, the Collins and Lafranchis guides both indicate that the Scarce Swallowtail doesn't occur in Spain south of the Pyrenees, yet two people with local knowledge insist it is that butterfly. Lafranchis lists a 'Spanish' Swallowtail, yet Collins doesn't at all. Can anyone clear the confusion?
Also seen were about 25 Painted Ladies on 2 acres of the coastal hillside at Punta Carnero, some were flying up the cliff as if directly off the sea, from the crossing from Morrocco. This was the spot where a lot of the northward raptor migration was making landfall in Europe.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:50 pm
by Lee Hurrell
Hi Andy,
That's a Scarce Swallowtail.
Collins has the maps mixed up for several of the Swallowtail and Festoon species. If you follow the text and cross reference with the maps you can work out which.
The maps for Scarce Swallowtail and Eastern Festoon belong on the following 2 pages for Southern and Spanish Festoons. The maps on those pages belong to the Scarce Swallowtail and Eastern Festoon.
Cheers
Lee
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:14 pm
by Padfield
Scarce swallowtail has a distinct subspecies, feisthameli, south of the Pyrenees, that is often regarded as a separate species. Feisthameli is more paper white than podalirius (which actually varies from white to yellowish, so this is an inconstant separator) but is otherwise identical to my eyes.
Scarce swallowtail, in the broad sense, is widespread and generally common to very common throughout Iberia.
Guy
PS - your photograph is definitely of Iphiclides (podalirius) feisthameli and the picture captures the paper-whiteness nicely.
Re: April in Andalucia
Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 7:12 pm
by Andy.bn
My thanks to Lee and Guy - what a helpful bunch you are.