Sierra Nevada, Granada Province.

A morning of butterfly photography or not !!!

Ononis cristata.

I dropped Jayne in the city and then headed up to the sierra and made my first stop at a spot just below the 2500 meter point and had a walk out in to one of the valleys. Here I saw Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita campestre / Anthus campestris), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Ononis cristata, Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Jurinea humilis, Polygala boissieri and Minature Wild Plum (Prunus prostrata).

Spanish Rusty Foxglove (Digitalis obscura).

I then went up higher to where the barrier prvents furthe access and parked hoping to do a walk out along to the Hoya de San Juan but as I was hoping to photograph Butterflies and it was by now drizzling I decided I would be wasting my time. 

Idas Blue (Plebejus idas).

I decided to drop back down to a lower level and just as I set off it started to turn to sleet and then more to snow !!

False IlexHairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

I dropped back down to another small gully but only found Ptilotrichum spinosum, Erigeron frigidus,  Eryngium glaciale as well as Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica).

Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini).

Just out side the ski resort I made another quick stop but the cloud had again come over but I did find Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), White Clover (Trifolium repens) and Marsh Violet (Viola palustris).

Zygaena sarpedon.

Further down still I stopped at the Botanical Gardens and as I walked around I found the first butterfly of the day an Idas Blue (Plebejus idas) which sat nicely but the light was awful so the shots were not great. I also saw Achillea ageratum, Salvia lavandulifolia, Corncockle (Agrostemma githago), Spanish Rusty Foxglove (Digitalis obscura), Pine-cone Knapweed (Leuzea Conifera) and loads more plant.

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Birds included Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

Southern Mountain Argus (Aricia montensis).

My last stop of the day was on the old road in an area of rocky grassland surrounded by pine woodland where I saw Onosma tricerosperma subsp granatensis, White (Linum suffruticosum) and Large Blue Flax (Linum narbonense), Lizard Orchid (Himantoglosum hircinum) and when the sun came out for a few minutes Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), False Ilex (Satyrium esculi) and Blue Spotted Hairstreaks (Satyrium spini), Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), Southern Mountain Argus (Aricia montensis), Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Zygaena sarpedon and Heliothea discoidaria both very smart day flying moths. 

Southern Mountain Argus (Aricia montensis).

There was also Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and a singing Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).

Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

I then dropped back down into the city and spent the rest of the day with Jayne.

Heliothea discoidaria.

Salvia lavandulifolia.