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Tuesday 21 May 2019

Sierra Nevada botanical Gardens and Old Road, Granada Province.

More Orchids, Birds and some even better Butterflies.
Karen and Rob, Day Four.

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).
For the last time I met Karen and Rob and we headed up through Granada and to the Botanical Gardens where we walked down to the visitor centre, on the way we had Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).
Veronica turbicola
We dropped down on to the meadows below and as things warmed up we started to get the first butterflies including Provençal (Melitaea deione), Knapweed (Melitaea phoebe) and Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Small White (Pieris rapae) and a rather tatty looking Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
As we walked down to the far end of the rockery section seeing Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) and a rather tatty Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).
Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri).
There were lots of the plants in flower including Lizard Orchids (Himantoglosum hircinum), Veronica turbicola, Blue Hedgehog Broom (Erinacea anthyllis), Common Asphodel (Asphodelus albus), Field marigold (Calendula arvensis), Hop Trefoil (Trifolium campestre), Woad (Isatis tinctoria), Mediterranean Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Navel-wort (Omphalodes commutata), Polygala boissieri, Rabbits bread (Andryala integrifolia), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis), Upland Peony (Paeonia coriacea), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa) and Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer).
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).
We walked back up to the car and then dropped down on to the old road but stopped breifly near the Visitors centre and checked the road side where we saw Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi),  Common / Southern Blue and then on some grassland a little further along the road we found a couple of Lesser-spotted Fritillaries (Melitaea trivia), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) as well as the day flying Moth Synaphe Moldavica,
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).
Crested Tit, a soaring Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Onosma tricerosperma ssp granatensis, Curry Plant (Helecrisum stoechaes), White (Helianthemum apenninum) and Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium), Berberis hispanica and Thymus mastichina.
Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).
Again we dropped down the hill making our next stop ata road side fuente near the Seminario Diocesano but it was much quieter than I had expectered, however we did find a very tatty Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis), Small White, Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), a singing Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), another couple of soaring Booted Eagles and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).
Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione).
Just a short way down the road we stopped again and walked from the edge of a wet roadside ditch where we had none flowering Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata) and the much rarer Epipactis fageticola.
Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii).
As we walked down the road we found a pair of Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi) with the male chasing the female around the brambles and umbellifers.
Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii).
In the same area we picked up Comma (Polygonum c-album), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Clouded Yellow, a female Provence Orange-tip, another Lesser-spotted Fritillary and more calling but unseen Golden Orioles.
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).
Our final stop of the day was down at the bottom of the valley along the Rio Genil where we looked for butterflies coming down to collect minerals from the damp gravel areas and we soon had several Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Southern Marbled Skippers, Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes), Provençal Fritillary, Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) and over on the grassy areas a pair of courting Provence Orange-tips with the male flying around trying to turn the females head.
Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).
Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).

Lesser-spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia).
Lesser-spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia).
Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis) or what's left of it.
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).
Lesser-spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia).
Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes).
Green-veined White (Pieris napi).
Green-veined White (Pieris napi).
Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi).
Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).
Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).
Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus).
Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines).

Provence Orange-tips (Anthocharis euphenodes).

























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