Several hours around the Botanical Gardens then off down the old road.
Paul and Helen Brock Day Six.


Once it was open we dropped down into the Botanical Gardens and made our way around the many tracks and paths. Near the visitor centre we found a very
smart Sierra Nevada Ocellated Lizard (Lacerta lepida / Timon nevadensis) as well as a couple of Large Psammodromus (Lagartija colilarga / Psammodromus algirus)
and Andalucian Wall Lizards (Podarcis vaucheri). As we walked around the top tracks we saw both nymph and adults of Canthophorus melanopterus a small shinny blue Shieldbug, Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), Mediterranean Shieldbug (Carpocoris mediterraneus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone), Common / Southern Blue (Icaro (Dos Puntos) / Polyommatus icarus / celina) and in a large Pyrenean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica) we found several Purple Hairstreaks (Quercusia Quercus). We continued on around the site checking any broom plants for more Stick Insects but found none, we did
however see Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Iberian Marbled White (Medioluto Ibérica / Melanargia lachesis), Great Banded Grayling (Rey Moro / Kanetisa circe), Cleopatra (Cleopatra / Gonepteryx cleopatra) and many more insect species. Birds seen and heard were Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). On the wetter flushes we found a coule of spikes of Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata) and several Iberian Water Frogs (Rana Común / Rana Perezi), On the far side of the site we checked a small pool a found several Southern Skimmers (Orthetrum brunneum), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Cardinal Fritillary (Pandora / argynnis Pandora), Holly Blue (Celastrina
argiolus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina ssp hispulla) and Swallowtail (Papilio machaon). We made our way back up to the car and then dropped down to the visitor centre on the main road a few KM below the botanical gardens,
the two young lads that worked in the centre which is now open much more often were very helpful and supplied us with some very good information. From here we dropped down the old road towards Guejar-sierra, on the way we stopped at a small area of grassland where we found Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma), Lesser Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Saddleback Bush-cricket (Ephippiger ephippiger), a couple of Weevel species, Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus viridis) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius).






Photographs from the top: Stick Insect (Pijnackeria hispanica) x2, Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus), Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri), Tiger Long-horn Beetle species, Canthophorus Celanopterus, Spilostethus species, Weevel species, Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca) and Lesser Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia).
1 comment:
geweldig mooi dit kleine leven in het najaar.
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