Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Botanical Gardens and Old road, Sierra Nevada, Granada Province.

Thursday 6 June 2019

Botanical Gardens and Old road, Sierra Nevada, Granada Province.

Back up in to the tallest of the Sierra's with Harry and Peter.

Day Two.

Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione) an aberrant insect.

We set off from the Cortijo again and headed around the City, picking up a bit of traffic but we were soon up at the Botanical Gardens, we parked and walked down to the entrance gate but it looked as though it was locked but harry checked the barrel lock and it pushed across so we cold get in.

Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).

We walked down the steps starting the list with a calling Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

We met the warden at the office and then went down on to the lower meadows and as we walked along the track by the big lawn we had a pair of pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) came up from the valley and drifted past.

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Amongst the flower beds we started the butterfly list with a rather worn Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione) and a second which was a strange aberrant insect which was followed by a much fresher looking Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) along with Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Spanish Marbled White

Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione).

(Melanargia ines), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Southern Marbled (Carcharodus boeticus) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), several Speckled Woods (Pararge aegeria), a couple of Lorquin's Blues (Cupido lorquinii) one of which was tatty but the other was much smarter, Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and a stunner of an Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

A single Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) drifted as we walked back up towards the car, also seen during the walk we saw Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), a male Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula), Spanish Foxglove (Digitalis obscura) and a Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

We dropped back down the hill and made a stop near the Visitor's center where we checked a damp patch on the roadside and found a couple of nice Marsh Fritillaries (Euphydryas aurinia), another group of Lorquin's Blues, Southern Blue, Small Skippers with one that I thought was an Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola) but it was not quite right, shame.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

We dropped down on to the Old Road and made our next stop on a grassy area where we spent a while and found a couple of really good species including a fine male Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus) as well as Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini), Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail,

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).

Lorquin's Blues again, both Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), Knapweed Fritillary, Clouded Yellow, two Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), a hunting male Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and a new day flying moth Loxostege tesselalis.

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

We dropped down again and parked by the entrance to the Seminario Diocesano and walked back up along the road where we saw a very smart male Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) which sat and showed very well in one of the Pyrenean Oaks (Quercus pyrenaica).

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula).

We also had Small Skipper, Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus), Comma ( c-album), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba), a single none flowering spike of the uncommon Epipactis fageticola and singing Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Just down the road we had a spike of Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata) which was just starting to flower and more not yet in flower Epipactis fageticola.

Spanish Foxglove (Digitalis obscura).

Our final stop of the day was at a rather windy Rio Genil down in the bottom of the valley, we checked the edge of the water and soon found several species puddling for minerals including Marsh Fritillaries, Southern Marbled Skippers, Silver-studded Blue, Small Skipper, Spanish Brown Argus, Southern Blue, Black-veined White, Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius), Green-veined (Pieris napi) and Small White, Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Loxostege tesselalis.

We dropped down out of the mountains, around Granada and back towards the Cortijo but made a quick stop at the Balsa de Rigedor to look for some Dragonflies, we found lots of Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathinerum), White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum).