Pages

Monday 10 July 2017

Butterflying in the Alpes-Maritimes - Col de la Lombarde

Day two and a change of venue - this time a journey up the Tinée Valley as far as the Col de la Lombarde or the Colle della Lombarda. This depends on where you are in the car park as the border runs straight through the middle. I noted that we parked in France but had our picnic lunch whilst sitting in Italy.

On the ascent we paused briefly to inspect a 100m stretch of roadside verge, it was absolutely alive with butterflies. So many that, for a brief time, I was overwhelmed with specimens to photograph and achieved nothing. Slowly I realised that you had to concentrate on a single subject and not get distracted, pretty hard as the temperature was on the up and the butterflies manic.

Black-veined White

The first Apollo of the tour



Large Blue

More Large Blues

Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Lang's Short-tailed Blue


Sooty Copper

Scarce Copper

Purple-edged Copper

Marbled Fritillary

Marbled Fritillary




Then a long climb up to the col, thankfully in a minibus.




Well it's a long way up for me


Alpine Butterfly enthusiasts

Alpine Butterfly enthusiasts





Cynthia's Fritillary

Cynthia's Fritillary




Cynthia's Fritillary

Cynthia's Fritillary


 
Cynthia's Fritillary

 
Escher's - again?? I was looking for Amanda's

Grisons Fritillary

Grisons Fritillary


Grisons Fritillary

Grisons Fritillary

Large Grizzled Skipper

Oberthur's Grizzled Skipper?

Large Grizzled Skipper

Mountain Clouded Yellow

Mountain Clouded Yellow

Mountain Clouded Yellow


Purple-edged Copper

Scarce Swallowtail recorded at 8700 ft

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper
 
Stunning mountain plants - shame there was only time enough to record some of the wide range flowering all over the slopes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finally a small meadow adjacent to the river, chock full of Cranesbill or Geraniums - the target species? Geranium Argus of course.
 
 
Geranium Argus
 
 
Geranium Argus
 
 
Geranium Argus
  
Silvery Argus
 
 
Almond-eyed Ringlet


Almond-eyed Ringlet


 
Large Ringlet

Large Ringlet

Purple-edged Copper

Purple-edged Copper


Purple-edged Copper

Niobe Fritillary

Niobe Fritillary

Niobe Fritillary


Marbled Fritillary


Marbled Fritillary



 


Marbled Fritillary


Forester moth

 
Great habitat for Grasshoppers
 
 
 
 
 
 


No comments:

Post a Comment