www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Having read the series on last of the summer wine - I thought I'd add my latest trip.

We've had a great summer and in order to extend it just a little longer my wife Susie and I booked a week with Dave Simpson at his Gite in the Dordoyne, near Lalinde (if you know the area). Details of this can be found in the BC mag.

Given how late in the season it is (18th-25th Sept) I didn't know what to expect and wasn't expecting very much - how wrong can you be? Dave had given me a list of possible sitings for this time of year but I was still suspicious.

The Gite is built and equipped to the very highest standard and will cope with six adults easily - which would make it a very cheap holiday. It comes with all mod cons including a pool table and UK Satellite TV but most impressive is the 10 acres it stands in. In the back garden and orchard areas and close surrounding meadow, marsh and heath we saw and photographed:-
Berger's Pale Clouded Yellows - more common than Small Whites
Clouded Yellows
Reverdin's Blue
Adonis Blues, by the dozen
Sooty Copper
Purple Hairstreak
Brown Hairstreak
Woodland Grayling
Great Banded Grayling
False Grayling
Map, in seasonal colours
Silver washed Fritillary
Knapweed Fritillary
Meadow Fritillary
Weaver's Fritillary
Glanville Fritillary
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Mallow Skipper
Silver spotted Skipper
and this is in addition to the normal species seen regularly at home - 28 species in all and over 400 photographs. See attached......

The site is obviously a haven for all sorts of other wildlife and I can thoroughly recommend it even in late September plus Dave is a great and very knowledgeable host.

Mike

Hi Mike,

What a wonderful way to spend a week in September!

I'm interested in the Reverdin's blue, because on the face of it it looks more like idas. I'm not doubting your ID, just interested in knowing how you confirmed it (the species are usually relatively easy in the field, especially given habitat considerations).

Guy

Magnificent stuff! I bet you had a hell of a time (I know I would have).

Having once lived in Toulouse though, I know that down there you can consider September as a definite summer month, with highs of 23-30C rather than the 17-22C we get here.

excellent please show us some more as you sort them out

Guy

Many thanks for your comment. Upon reflection you may well be right. I have posted three images all taken in the same locality and there may well be a difference - I shall be very pleased if the newer specimen is the Idas. Please do your stuff Guy.

And I have posted a few more shots for the rest of you.

If there was one drawback during this holiday it was the drive down and particularly back. We stayed overnight in the Tours area in both directions using different motorways for both journeys south of Tours - we met extensive roadworks (just like home). As a result the 5.5 hour drive, with stops, took 7 hours - but it was worth it.

Mike

Those last two look good for Reverdin's and it would be safer to call the first one that too, as you did. It's useful to see the extent of the variation.

Guy

Thanks Guy

from a slightly disappointed Mike..... The Idas would have been a new one for me.

Don't worry - you'll see idas. It's commoner than Reverdin's in most of Europe and in many places commoner than silver-stud. I still think your first one looks most like idas but a good working principle is never to call a life-tick or a site-tick unless you are 100% sure.

In Switzerland and central France, Reverdin's is always intimately associated with its foodplant, crown vetch. This, in turn, is associated with rather lush meadows or grassy edges in more agricultural areas. Idas is found in quite different places - in the Rhône Valley (CH) it is associated with sea buckthorn and higher up in the mountains with various other plants. Most often it is a case of identifying colonies rather than individuals, and the colonies are generally quite unambiguous, given all the habitat considerations. Photos can be more difficult!

Females are easier than males because female idas has brown fringes while female Reverdin's has white fringes.

I didn't mean to disappoint you - but if Reverdin's flies there and if you're not 100% sure it would be better to assume an ambiguous butterfly is Reverdin's.

Guy

Thanks Guy

As ever you are a font of experience and knowledge and I'm endebtted (if that's correct).

All of this species were seen in the same area - a damp marshy meadow and therefore I guess that would be the correct thing to assume.

Please watch this space as I need confirmation of two more shots.

Mike