The False Apollo

My trip to Costa Rica was lying in tatters, everyone bar two had pulled out and two do not make a viable party. As soon as I knew that I wasn't travelling I decided to book another trip in Europe. The upshot was that I was travelling to a fairly remote part of north east Greece with the False Apollo as the main target.  No birds but butterflies and lots of eastern varieties to be seen, or so I thought.

It was raining heavily when we arrived and it was raining heavily when we left. The bits in between were mainly wet with a few dry spells. Ordinarily it would be classed as a disaster, a butterflying week ruined by cold wet weather. However, the group and two cracking leaders were always optimistic and the amazing fact is that we managed to find a total of forty four species.

Day 1 dawned with leaden skies and the promise of rain, but of course the forecast was better for tomorrow, we just had to give it a go. Sitting in a hotel was not an option.

Oddly, we were in the middle of one of the largest butterfly migrations I have witnessed, Painted Lady were on the move, not hundreds but thousands, all heading north  on a mission. From first light to almost dark they fluttered by, not fazed by the rain, not a pause, save for a few minutes nectaring. I had seen plenty in Cyprus but nothing to compare with this mass movement. Of course every time one flew past it had to be scanned, just in case it was something different, and some of these butterflies were terribly worn and pale, just enough to fool you.

Our first venue was Vrachi where we clocked up four species, a couple of sleepy Southern Festoons provided some entertainment for the photographers, a tatty Grecian Copper and a Small Copper perched in the vegetation brightened things up a bit. Of course the Painted Lady procession kept us on the alert.

A sleeping Southern Festooon

I know it's tatty....

... but it is a butterfly.

A move to Potamos Railway Station, a defunct building and platform in the middle of nowhere was our next venue. A brief burst of sunshine brought out the whites, Eastern Dappled White provided some photographic subjects that were willing to pose.  Large and Small Whites along with an Orange Tip or two were the supporting cast. A fast flying Camberwell Beauty had everyone chasing in hot pursuit, of course it wasn't going to stop, they never do.

A Mallow Skipper posed well but when I sorted out the photos I noticed that a Bush Cricket of some description had photo-bombed the capture - two for the price of one as they say.

Eastern Dappled White

Eastern Dappled White

Eastern Dappled White

Eastern Dappled White

Mallow Skipper

Mallow Skipper and interloper.

  

Wall

Roman Snail - nice flash!

At least I managed to give the new twin flash unit an exercise, the Roman Snails were't going anywhere fast.


Day 2 and as we waited to depart the sun shone, the mood was buoyant and expectation filled the air. The rosemary bushes adjacent to the swimming pool at the hotel were attracting the ever present Painted Ladies.

Then off to our banker venue, Vrachi - surely in the sunshine we should have the False Apollo, sadly not, as we climbed the valley the cloud rolled in and it became much chillier.
Amazingly, one of the sleepy festoons that we had left the previous day was still on his perch. As if to satisfy the horde of photographers it opened its wings briefly.

Southern Festoon

More Eastern Dappled Whites

Sooty Copper

Reluctantly we abandoned Vrachi and set off for Mesembria. Butterflies remained scarce but we did find Brown Argus and Green-underside Blue. One of the group found Ophrys mammosa or the Mammose Orchid, named for fairly obvious reasons. Some of the blooms were getting past their sell by date but there were one or two presentable specimens left.

Brown Argus

The aptly named Green-underside Blue

Ophrys mammosa

Another nice find was Hermann's Tortoise, something that I had never seen before in the wild.

Day three and the weather had changed, it felt warmer and there was the promise of some prolonged sunshine - off to Vrachi again. Today would be almost our last chance for the Apollo, tomorrow we were moving on to pastures new, everything depended on the weather and our intrepid leaders.

When we arrived on site it was encouraging, whites and coppers were flying and it wasn't long before we found festoons too.

Grecian Copper

Grecian Copper

Sooty Copper

Sooty Copper

Southern Festoon

Southern Festoon

Southern Festoon

Then the shout went up "False Apollo" and we ran for all our worth, only to find that it had disappeared. Then another shout - right back from where we had just come. Never mind, I eventually arrived and was treated to the sight of a stunning butterfly, a male False Apollo.

False Apollo (m)

If you think the male is a looker then just take a gander at the female - absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, Having recorded both I went off in search of more and managed to find two females, one of which was laying eggs on Aristolochia pallida one of the larval host plants for this species.

False Apollo (f)

Egg laying female.

Aristolochia pallida with incidental female False Apollo

One of my bogey butterflies - the Large Tortoiseshell - seen but never photographed satisfactorily.

A Queen of Spain Fritillary (f) spurning the advances of a male.

Queen of Spain Fritillary

Day four - moving day and the least said about the Nestos Gorge the better. We managed to record Haberlea rhodopensis  in the gloomiest of conditions during a thunderous torrential downpour, later in the day near our new hotel I recorded a solitary dung beetle - whose name sums up the whole day.

Haberlea rhodopensis

Dung Beetle

During the second half of the week we were never far from snow!

Day five - Saturday, we started at Granitis where we found Grizzled Skipper, Queen of Spain (asleep) and a delightful Eastern Baton Blue which Martin cajoled into giving an open wing shot. Amazing what a bit of rock and a touch of sun will do.

Grizzled Skipper

Eastern Baton Blue

Eastern Baton Blue

Eastern Baton Blue

Queen of Spain Fritillary

Next venue was Potamoi which gave us Chequered Blue, Green-underside Blue, Wood White, Eastern Wood White  and Gruners Orange Tip

Chequered Blue

Chequered Blue

Chequered Blue

Chequered Blue

Green-underside Blue

Green-underside Blue

Eastern Wood White

Eastern Wood White

Gruner's Orange Tip

Gruner's Orange Tip

Gruner's Orange Tip

 And a Blue Beetle

The last day - where did the time go. Unfortunately only a couple of butterflies today, both from roadside stops. A bedraggled first brood Map and a reticent Brimstone.

Virtually my only bird picture of the trip - not that we didn't see any - just not close enough.

Grey Wagtail

This is probably a trip for dyed in the wool butterfliers. However, had the weather been better I might have had a different view. Well where else are you going to go for the False Apollo in Europe?

Bouquets

Greenwings for the organisation, transport and hotels.

Martin and Michael for their intrepid leadership which kept us in good spirits - even as the rain hammered on the roof of the mini-bus.

The Group, knowledgeable, erudite and above all good humoured,

Brickbats 

None that I can think of.  - Wait a minute! BBC Weather Forecast - wrong every day.