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Saturday, 8 July 2023

Heading out West into Castilo Y León, Spain.

Out looking for a Mega Butterfly species.

The Habitat which was similar to the site but I forgot to take one there.
I was out quite early and drove out to the west and then I took a minor road North to a spot which a good friend had given me for a species I had long wanted to see, the Woodland Brown (Lopinga achine) but he warned me it was extremely difficult and he was certainly not wrong about this as it took me to 5.5 hours to get one brief view without a chance of a picture but it was worth it.
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus).
Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus).
Purple Hairstreak (Favonius Quercus).
On the way to the site I had White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Black (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).
Southern Heath Fritillary (Melitaea nevadensis).
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus).
Dark-green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja).
Dark-green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja).
I parked and walked on to the site picking up Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) and just over the river we picked up Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus), Purple Hairstreak (Favonius Quercus), Southern Heath (Melitaea nevadensis) and Dark-green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja) before I started to search the woodland glade and meadows.
Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania).
Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) female.
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis).
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus).
As I searched I saw and heard Blackcap, Cirl BuntingYellowhammer (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Marsh Tit (Carbonero Palustre /Parus palustris), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Middle-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Mediano / Dendrocopos medius) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).
Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).
Southern Heath Fritillary (Melitaea nevadensis).
Dark-green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja).
As the morning went on more and more butterflies were on the wing which included Marbled White (Melanargia galathea), Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Adonis (Lysandra bellargus), Common (Polyommatus icarus), Holly (Celastrina argiolus),  Long-tailed (Lampides boeticus) and Turquoise Blue (Polyommatus dorylas), Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone), Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Wood White (Leptidea sinapis), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).
Zygaena transalpina probably.
Hypomecis punctinalis.
Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone).
Southern Heath Fritillary (Melitaea nevadensis).
Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus) female.
Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus) female.
Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus) female.
I walked back to the car for a drink and some food finding a male Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii), Betony (Stachys officinalis), Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense), Common (Malva sylvestris) and Musk Mallow (Malva moschata), Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) and Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria).
Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon).
Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon).
Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii).
I sat down by the river next to another couple where I saw another Common Golden Ring, more Southern Heath Fritillaries and another new species for me, a Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon) which kept landing on the hand of a lady who kindly let me take some pictures as it was taking minerals from her skin.
Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia).
Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia).
Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus).
Dark-green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja).
Southern Heath Fritillary (Melitaea nevadensis).
After a sit down I returned to the wooded meadows and continued to search and after quite a lot of walking round I suddenly saw a butterfly in the grass for just a moment before it flew up and quite quickly way in the wind but I had a good enough view of it on the ground and through the Bin's in flight to confirm it was a very smart Woodland Brown.
Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino).
Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino).
Southern Heath Fritillary (Melitaea nevadensis).
By this point I was absolutely knackered and didn't think it was worth chasing the Brown as it was whipped away on the strengthening wind so I returned to the car where I watched at least 3x Berger's Clouded Yellow moving around a field of Bugloss before starting to head back to the hotel.
Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous) habitat.

Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous).
Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous).
Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous).
Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous).
On the way I remember a few words of wisdom from Ed, if you see
Great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) in any of the hay meadows stop and check it for Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous), so when I spotted the plant I stopped and very quickly found the first of several of this new Blue species for me, over the moon. 
Spring Gentian (Gentiana verna).
Spanish Heath (Coenonympha iphioides).
Spanish Heath (Coenonympha iphioides).
Purple-edged Copper (Lycaena hippothoe).
In this same area I also recorded
Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino)Spanish Heath (Coenonympha iphioides), Purple-edged (Lycaena hippothoe) and a single Scarce Copper (Lycaena virgaureae), Heath Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) and a very unexpected Spring Gentian (Gentiana verna).

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