Some photos from France, ID help needed on some please
Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:27 pm
Hi all
Here are a few photos from my recent hols in France, at a Gite in The Lot, near to Gourdon.
First up is Hummingbird Hawk Moth, there were many of these roosting in a vine on the west face of the Gite we had rented. They take forever to settle on a place to spend the night, it was fun watching them. The shutter speed in the picture was 1/1250 so with a wing speed like that it's no wonder they have to spend so much time taking nectar.
Scarce Swallowtails were around in good numbers too, most were missing parts from their tails, this one wasn't too shabby though.
I didn't see this at the Gite but on some walks we did that weren't that far away I found these on a couple of occasions. It was the first time I've seen this, but once you have seen the stunning underwing, there is no mistaking Queen of Spain Fritillary.
This one had me guessing until I got home and could look at http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/ but I'm fairly confident this is Sooty Copper. A lovely little butterfly that I couldn't quite get the photo I wanted of, mainly because I only ever saw it in very strong sunlight.
Next up is Southern White Admiral. I first came across this species last year when I found a very aggressive (presumably male) individual guarding a track through a section of open woodland. This year I found many more, and all were very focussed on taking nectar, until they bumped into one another and then they would take to the wing and try to see one another off.
Now I could use a bit of help. I have a feeling that this is Heath Fritillary, can anyone confirm this please? Unfortunately I don't have an underwing shot. I found it in the grounds of the Gite in a large wild flower meadow. The whole area was a rich habitat for butterflies with much mixed woodland and plenty of uncultivated pastures and meadows.
This one I'm fairly confident is Rock Grayling but again if anyone can confirm that would be greatly appreciated. I must confess to not having seen a normal UK Grayling for about 30 years so I can be excused if this is Grayling.
This was another small fritillary we saw around the gite, I only got a fleeting photo opportunity but managed to get a partial underside shot. Again any suggestions for this one would be appreciated.
Finally, this one reminded me of Spotted Fritillary which I saw last year in the Provence, but it could be something else which is very worn out, again I don't have an underwing shot but if someone could confirm the identity it would be greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them, and to anyone able to help with ID suggestions, many thanks in advance.
Cheers all
Bill
Here are a few photos from my recent hols in France, at a Gite in The Lot, near to Gourdon.
First up is Hummingbird Hawk Moth, there were many of these roosting in a vine on the west face of the Gite we had rented. They take forever to settle on a place to spend the night, it was fun watching them. The shutter speed in the picture was 1/1250 so with a wing speed like that it's no wonder they have to spend so much time taking nectar.
Scarce Swallowtails were around in good numbers too, most were missing parts from their tails, this one wasn't too shabby though.
I didn't see this at the Gite but on some walks we did that weren't that far away I found these on a couple of occasions. It was the first time I've seen this, but once you have seen the stunning underwing, there is no mistaking Queen of Spain Fritillary.
This one had me guessing until I got home and could look at http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/ but I'm fairly confident this is Sooty Copper. A lovely little butterfly that I couldn't quite get the photo I wanted of, mainly because I only ever saw it in very strong sunlight.
Next up is Southern White Admiral. I first came across this species last year when I found a very aggressive (presumably male) individual guarding a track through a section of open woodland. This year I found many more, and all were very focussed on taking nectar, until they bumped into one another and then they would take to the wing and try to see one another off.
Now I could use a bit of help. I have a feeling that this is Heath Fritillary, can anyone confirm this please? Unfortunately I don't have an underwing shot. I found it in the grounds of the Gite in a large wild flower meadow. The whole area was a rich habitat for butterflies with much mixed woodland and plenty of uncultivated pastures and meadows.
This one I'm fairly confident is Rock Grayling but again if anyone can confirm that would be greatly appreciated. I must confess to not having seen a normal UK Grayling for about 30 years so I can be excused if this is Grayling.
This was another small fritillary we saw around the gite, I only got a fleeting photo opportunity but managed to get a partial underside shot. Again any suggestions for this one would be appreciated.
Finally, this one reminded me of Spotted Fritillary which I saw last year in the Provence, but it could be something else which is very worn out, again I don't have an underwing shot but if someone could confirm the identity it would be greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them, and to anyone able to help with ID suggestions, many thanks in advance.
Cheers all
Bill