A few photos from our Butterfly Week 2007. We had experienced one of the coolest and wettest springs in our 20 years living in the Pyrenees, a few days beforehand there were literally no butterflies to be seen! However, we were very fortunate that warm and sunny weather soon brought many species out and enabled everybody to appreciate the wonderful local scenery. So an overall species total for the week of 77 was remarkable given the earlier weather conditions. A list from the week appears below, this brings our overall local list to 120 species which is also shown below. Most of the week was spent in the Pays Toy, from the Bareges valley to Gavarnie and the Heas valley at between 700m and 1600m of altitude. Given the previously cool conditions we did not attempt to go higher as there was little flying at more elevated altitudes. As for the bird life we were rewarded with fine sightings of Lammergeier, including a superb close display of an adult bird flying with a juvenile. Other interesting birds we saw included Egyptian Vulture, Golden Eagle, Short-Toed Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Peregrine, Black and Red Kites, Ring Ousel, Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Red Backed Shrike and Dipper. The plant life had benefited enormously from the rains of the previous weeks and was at its very best, everybody enjoyed the fabulous flower-filled meadows with the rattles, maiden pinks and orchids providing a wonderful display, with the Iris just coming into flower. A species list from the week is beneath the photos. Photos of interesting local flowers can be found here.
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Butterflies identified locally… Bareges,
Gavarnie, Heas.
Papilionidae
Swallowtail
Scarce
Swallowtail
Apollo
Clouded Apollo
4
Pieridae
Large
White
Black-veined White
Mountain
Small White
Small White
Green-veined
White
Bath White
Dappled White
Mountain Dappled White
Orange Tip
Mountain Clouded Yellow
Pale Clouded
Yellow
Clouded Yellow
Berger's
Clouded Yellow
Brimstone
Cleopatra
Wood White
16
Lycaenidae
Ilex Hairstreak
Blue Spot Hairstreak
Green Hairstreak
Small Copper
Purple-shot Copper
Scarce Copper
Sooty Copper
Purple-edged Copper
Long-tailed Blue
Little Blue
Mountain Alcon Blue
Large Blue
Green Underside Blue
Baton Blue
Silver-studded Blue
Idas Blue
Brown Argus
Mountain Argus
Mazarine Blue
Glandon’s Blue
Gavarnie Blue
Escher's
Chapman’s
Blue
Amanda’s Blue
Turquoise
Blue
Geranium Argus
Chalkhill
Blue
Adonis Blue
Common Blue
29
Nymphalidae
Purple
Emperor
Lesser Purple Emperor
Southern
White Admiral
Map
Camberwell
Beauty
Red Admiral
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Large Tortoiseshell
Painted Lady
Comma
Silver-washed
Fritillary
Dark Green Fritillary
High
Brown Fritillary
Niobe Fritillary
Lesser
Marbled Fritillary
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Shepherd's Fritillary
Pearl-bordered
Fritillary
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Weaver's Fritillary
Knapweed Fritillary
Spotted Fritillary
False Heath
Fritillary
Provencal Fritillary
Heath
Fritillary
Meadow Fritillary
Marsh
Fritillary
28
Riodinidae
Duke of Burgundy
1
Satyridae
Marbled White
Rock Grayling
Woodland Grayling
Grayling
Great Banded Grayling
Large Ringlet
Yellow Spotted Ringlet
Mountain
Ringlet
De Prunner's Ringlet
Common
Brassy Ringlet
Gavarnie Ringlet
Spanish
Brassy Ringlet
Lefebre’s Ringlet
Bright-eyed
Ringlet
Piedmont Ringlet
False
Dewy Ringlet
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Gatekeeper
Small Heath
Pearly
Heath
Chestnut Heath
Speckled
Wood
Large Wall Brown
Wall Brown
25
Hesperidae
Grizzled
Skipper
Large Grizzled Skipper
Oberthur's
Grizzled Skipper
Safflower Skipper
Olive
Skipper
Carline Skipper
Red-underwing
Skipper
Mallow Skipper
Marbled
Skipper
Large Chequered Skipper
Dingy
Skipper
Chequered Skipper
Lulworth
Skipper
Essex Skipper
Small
Skipper
Silver-spotted Skipper
Large
Skipper
17
Total 120
Thanks
to Mark Brown
List of butterflies identified- Butterfly Week 2 - 7th July
2007 with Mark Brown
Papilionidae
Swallowtail
Apollo
Clouded
Apollo
Pieridae
Large White
Black-veined White
Mountain Small White
Small White
Green-veined White
Mountain Dappled
White
Orange Tip
Mountain Clouded
Yellow
Clouded Yellow
Brimstone
Wood White
Lycaenidae
Ilex Hairstreak
Green Hairstreak
Small Copper
Purple-shot Copper
Scarce Copper
Sooty Copper
Purple-edged Copper
Long-tailed
Blue
Little Blue
Mountain Alcon
Blue
Large Blue
Green Underside
Blue
Silver-studded Blue
Idas
Blue
Brown Argus
Mountain Argus
Mazarine Blue
Glandon’s
Blue
Amanda’s Blue
Turquoise
Blue
Chalkhill Blue
Adonis
Blue
Common Blue
Nymphalidae
Southern White Admiral
Red Admiral
Small Tortoiseshell
Painted Lady
Dark Green Fritillary
Lesser Marbled
Fritillary
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Pearl-bordered
Fritillary
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Spotted Fritillary
False Heath
Fritillary
Heath Fritillary
Riodinidae
Duke of Burgundy
Satyridae
Marbled
White
Rock Grayling
Great Banded
Grayling
Bright-eyed Ringlet
Piedmont
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Gatekeeper
Small Heath
Pearly
Heath
Speckled Wood
Large Wall
Brown
Wall Brown
Hesperidae
Grizzled Skipper
Large Grizzled
Skipper
Oberthur's Grizzled Skipper
Safflower
Skipper
Olive Skipper
Red-underwing
Skipper
Mallow Skipper
Marbled
Skipper
Large Chequered Skipper
Dingy
Skipper
Chequered Skipper
Essex
Skipper
Small Skipper
Large
Skipper
Total 77
