www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I will be travelling over to Andalucia in mid January for two weeks, I will be viewing several properties along the Costa Almeria during the first few days with the intention of buying a holiday home where I will be living 3-4 months each winter, then I am using the remainder of my holiday to search for butterflies and after spending my first week or so in the Costa Almeria I will then travel to the Costa Tropical / Costa Calida for my final few days.

I would be very appreciative if anyone has any useful information regarding the butterflies of this area of Andalucia / Murcia

1 Does anyone have a list of butterfly species for the Costa Almeria (especially the area around the Cabo de Gata-Nijar National Park and slightly further north including Mojacar, Garrucha and Vera),
2 Are there likely to be many butterflies flying in the Costa Almeria during the winter months (November-February) and if so then which species am I most likely to see.
3 Does anyone know of any really good butterfly sites in the Costa Almeria or in the Costa Tropical / Costa Calida.

John,
Using Tolman, I worked out that 105 butterflies that occur in area around Malaga. I am not sure how accurate this is. I bought "Las Mariposas diurnas de Sierra Nevada" when I went to the Sierra Nevada this summer. I think it lists 126 species for the Sierra Nevada mountains. I could try and put together these lists for you if you want to send me your e-mail via a personal message. There will be obvious differences between Almeria and Malaga or Sierra Nevada, but it will give you some idea.
Nick

Hi John,

In the Malaga area, there are a few butterflies that will still be on the wing at the moment - I assume the area you will be looking in will be fairly similar - Wall, Small Copper, Long-tailed Blue, Geranium Bronze, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Clouded Yellow, various whites (probably Small and Large, though they never stop to allow identification). If you are very lucky, Spanish Festoon, though the flight season for these is more early spring when they are not uncommon.

I visited the Cabo de Gata/Nijar area in October 1987. There were Common Tiger Blues, Desert Orange Tips, Swallowtails, Lang's Short-tailed Blues, African Grass Blues in irrigated areas, masses of Sage Skippers, and after the first autumn rain several Cardinals. A late Striped Grayling in the nearby Sierra Alhamilla (name from memory). This may not be much of a guide to what you may see in the winter, but it is anyway a fascinating area, more like north Africa than Europe.

M.

Matsukaze wrote:... there are a few butterflies that will still be on the wing at the moment ...........;Wall, Small Copper, Long-tailed Blue, Geranium Bronze, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Clouded Yellow, various whites (probably Small and Large ....

Sounds like the standard South of France inventory for very late summer Ahhhh happy days !
Good luck John
Chris

Thanks everyone for all your replies so far.