www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

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?

April is not early at all for Andalucía - 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.

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

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?

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:

Thanks Guy, just checking out satellite pics of a few potential sites now...

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have returned from Andalucia after a very succesful birding trip with 116 species seen by our group of nine people. 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. 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.

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

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.

My thanks to Lee and Guy - what a helpful bunch you are.