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Monday 24 May 2021

Sierra Huétor, Granada Province, Spain.

Orchids, Butterflies and a few Dragons.
 
Sun hitting the pines early in the morning.
I drove out to Sierra Huétor and made my first stop in an area of pine woodland that I have visited many times looking for butterflies or Orchids, today it was going to be Orchids and I was pleased with the finds.
Orchis cazorlensis.
I walked out into the Pines to the areas where I usually find the uncommon Orchis cazorlensis but I struggled in this area but I did find lots of spikes of Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei) as well as over with Dense-flowered (Neotinea maculata) and Barton's Orchids (Dactylorhias insularis).
Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei).
I checked another path where a few weeks ago we had seen several spikes of Cazorlensis that were not in flower and found a few nice plants but at in another nearby clearing in the pines I was very pleased to find at least 300 more spikes and as I walked further on through the woods I found more and more, by the time i turned around I estimate I had seen between 500 and 600 spikes.
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).
In the same area I also had single spikes of
Pink Butterfly (Orchis papilionacea) and Lizard Orchid (Himanthoglosum hircinum) along with Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Common Vetch (Vicia sativa), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus) and Aristolochia paucinervis.
Bartsia trixago.
Centaurea aspera subsp. stenophylla.
Andryala ragusina.
Birds included Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).
Phlomis herba-venti.
Dyer's Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria)?????
Dyer's Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria)?????
Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris).
I returned to the car and then drove out towards Guadix and spent a couple of hours walking tracks and road sides to the East of Diezma looking for butterflies but I didn't find anything special but picked up Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

There were a few butterflies including
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice) and Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua).
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) female.

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) male.

Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) male.

The verge close to the road had been sprayed but the area beyond this held good numbers of wild flowers, some that I have managed to name were Dyer's Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria), Centaurea aspera subsp. stenophylla, Andryala ragusina and Phlomis herba-venti which were new for me along with Fine leaved Fumitory (Fumaria parviflora), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Garden Anchusa (Anchusa azurea), Large Blue Flax (Linum narbonense), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) and Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis).
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) Male.
Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) Male.

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) Tandem pair.
I got back to the car and drove back to another spot n the Sierra Huétor and after parking in some shade I walked a KM or 2 up the valley following a river checking the grassy meadows, woods and the river as I went. 
Libelloides baeticus.
I started with a
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) and Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).
Bug Orchid (Anacamptis coriophora).
Broomrape species.
Down by the river I also had males of Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa), Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) and Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) along with both male and female Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) all of which stayed up in the tops of the bushes.
Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum).

Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum).

Birds included
Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).
Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) female.
Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) female.
My last stop of the day was around on the Alfacar end of the Sierra where I had a walk up one of the many tracks where I was looking for Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum) and after a search I found 12 spikes but most were going passed their best.
Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) male.

Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) male.

During the search I also had more Lange's and a few spikes of
Bug Orchid (Anacamptis coriophora) as well as Provence (Anthocharis euphenodes) and Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) befor heading home.

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