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I got back from a ten day trip over a week ago now and its taken this long to sort out a few photos of the trip. I had unfinished business to attend to in the Jura as my trip last year coincided with very cold weather and a late spring. I had found the most fantastic butterfly locality and spent three days sitting on a rock wishing for the sun to come out. It did for a few minutes, a few times and allowed me a taste of what was there - several species of blues, browns, skippers and fritillaries. I had decided to have a day or two here and then move on to the northern French Alps a short drive the other side of Geneva. After a very long drive - I live in Scotland - I arrived at the same campsite as last year.

The first day was perfect and the numbers and range of butterfly species was astonishing. Here are a few of them. I have included a couple taken a week later on the way home when I found several more species had emerged.

Lovely pictures. The first especially is very atmospheric and you were lucky to get an open-winged woodland brown. They are very difficult to approach and often reluctant to open up.

Your 'knapweed fritillary' looks like a female meadow fritillary to me.

Guy

Thanks Guy. I was really pleased with the Woodland Brown. Its an absolutely beautiful creature and not one I expected to find. I do find the fritillaries especially difficult - here's a underwing shot of the same insect.

I have just rechecked with my Collins guide and I am sure you are right Guy. There's a few more butterflies I'm not sure about and I'm quite happy to be corrected. It's quite overwhelming being confronted with more species of butterfly than in the whole of Scotland but on one site. Many thanks for your help.

Owen

Here's a few more from the first site in the Jura. Chestnut Heaths were a new one for me and they were plentiful along with the Small and Pearly that I had seen on my 2013 visit. Apollo's have eluded me in the past so I was delighted to find this one still inflating its wings. Several species of blues here including this lovely Turquoise. Owen

The following day I decided to head for pastures new - the northern French Alps the other side of Geneva. On the way I stopped off at a damp meadow surrounded by forest that looked like it might hold some treasures. It was a cloudy morning but after staking the place out for a couple of hours a few butterflies started moving as the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. The first to wake up were Ringlets followed shortly after by my first Lesser Marbled Fritillaries - and very fresh they were too. Also about were Black-veined Whites. Owen

French lay-bys nearly always hold something of interest and the one I pulled in at a few miles down the road had a colony of Silver-studded Blues. After travelling through Geneva (my sat-nav doesn't do ring roads) I arrived at my next campsite. There was time for a quick recce so I headed out of the valley up to a car park in around 1300m. I woke early the following day to see strong sunshine on the south-eastern side of the mountain and wasted no time to get up there. I spent the day walking up to about 1800m where there was still ice in the shady areas. Most of the butterflies were at the lower levels - I suspect a visit a little later in the season would be worthwhile. On the way back down to the campsite I stopped at a grassy verge where there were lots of blues - smalls, mazarines, commons and one or two I was not sure of. Owen

Could your last Blue be Chapman's? It's missing the underside cell spot associated with Common Blue.

I saw a couple of other possible Chapmans including a well marked female but as I am unfamiliar with this species and was unable to see the distinctive androconial patch in the males I'm just not sure.

Over the next few days I continued working my way south exploring the area between Lake Geneva and Samoens. Here's a few more. Owen

Great images, Owen. Interesting to see a huge butterfly like Swallowtail imbibing from the earth alongside pyrgus

Another swallowtail joining the party. Later in the week on a different hillside I found a similar group puddling. Unfortunately a party of walkers had just passed and one of the swallowtails had been stepped upon. Owen

Grrr. If you can't spot a grounded Swallowtail, then you shouldn't be walking on a mountain.

Do these folks step in dog s**t with the same regularity? (after all, it's less obvious than a huge gorganus).

Wow, what a fantastic collection of butterflies you saw. I would love to see a group of butterflies puddling like that. I think I would just set up a chair and watch them all day!

It is fascinating to watch. I came across another group with some moths too. During my week I saw lots of Eribia and I think all of them were Bright-eyed Ringlets. They seemed to become darker and less spotty the further east and south I travelled. These are the two extremes. Owen