Monday 14 September 2015

Slovenia august 2015 - Julian Alps

Last august I made a tour from Slovenia through Hungary and to W-Slovakia. First some pictures from the Julian Alps in Slovenia. I was in the Julian Alps in July 2013, 2013 however was a very late season with lots of species flying later than normal so I missed out on some species. For this reason I was happy to visit the region again.

Mangard


Erebia calcaria, female

Erebia gorge, female


Erebia pronoe, male


Source of the Soca river

Erebia pronoe

Erebia stirius, male

Erebia styx trentae, male


Breznica

Pieris mannii, female

Polyommatus coridon, male

Minois dryas






Thursday 10 September 2015

Armenia part X

Day 14: South of Agarakadzor

My last day in Armenia and I needed to leave for Yerevan in the afternoon so I visited an area close to Yeghegnadzor at 1300m in a river valley south of Agarakadzor.



Thymelicus lineola

Pseudophilotes vicrama


Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) firdussii (pseudactis)

Coenonympha saadi

Provisional species list:

 Pyrgus sidae
 Carcharodus lavatherae
 Thymelicus lineola
 Iphiclides podalirius
 Leptidea duponcheli
 Aporia crataegi
 Colias croceus
 Colias alfacariensis
 Lycaena phlaeas
 Satyrium spini
 Cupido osiris
 Celastrina argiolus
 Pseudophilotes vicrama
 Plebejus argus
 Aricia agestis
 Polyommatus amandus
 Polyommatus icarus
 Polyommatus firdussii
 Satyrium hyrcanicum
 Satyrium ledereri
 Tomares romanovi
 Argynnis aglaja
 Issoria lathonia
 Melitaea didyma
 Melitaea arduinna
 Limenitis reducta
 Maniola jurtina
 Melanargia larissa
 Chazara persephone
 Coenonympha saadi
 Neptis rivularis
 Satyrus amasinus



Wednesday 9 September 2015

Armenia part IX

Day 13: Vardashat

I traveled to Lusashogh in order to find Colias chlorocoma. Unfortunately soon after I arrived I noticed that there wasn't good habitat in the neighbourhood for this species. I was hoping to find the larval foodplant, Onobrychis cornuta, at a lower altitude than near Gnishik but near Lusashogh there seemed to be lots of grazing activities from cows, sheep and horses so it took me to late afternoon until I found some good amounts of Onobrychis cornuta near Vardashat but then it started to get cloudy so I moved on to lower elevations near Areni.

overgrazed meadows near Lusashogh



Near Vardashat

Muschampia tessellum
or intergrade with Muschampia nomas



Lycaena ochimus


Lycaena alciphron

Euphydryas aurinia

Chazara persephone

 Black-headed bunting, one of the most common bird species in june in Armenia

Provisional species list
 Erynnis tages
 Pyrgus sidae
 Ochlodes sylvanus
 Muschampia tessellum
 Parnassius mnemosyne
 Iphiclides podalirius
 Papilio alexanor
 Leptidea duponcheli
 Aporia crataegi
 Pieris ergane
 Pontia edusa
 Colias croceus
 Colias alfacariensis
 Lycaena phlaeas
 Lycaena alciphron
 Lampides boeticus
 Cupido minimus
 Glaucopsyche alexis
 Pseudophilotes vicrama
 Polyommatus amandus
 Polyommatus icarus
 Polyommatus bellargus
 Callophrys paulae
 Lycaena ochimus
 Lycaena thersamon
 Argynnis pandora
 Issoria lathonia
 Euphydryas aurinia
 Melitaea cinxia
 Vanessa cardui
 Aglais urticae
 Nymphalis xanthomelas
 Lasiommata megera
 Coenonympha pamphilus
 Coenonympha leander
 Erebia medusa
 Melanargia russiae
 Chazara briseis
 Chazara persephone




Near Areni

Satyrium hyrcanicum

Melanargia larissa

Provisional species list
 Spialia orbifer
 Eogenes alcides
 Papilio machaon
 Aporia crataegi
 Pieris rapae
 Pontia edusa
 Colias croceus
 Lycaena phlaeas
 Aricia agestis
 Polyommatus icarus
 Satyrium hyrcanicum
 Vanessa atalanta
 Melanargia larissa
 Chazara briseis
 Chazara persephone
 Pseudochazara mamurra










Sunday 6 September 2015

Central Spain july 2015

From the Pyrenees we drove south to central Spain. Unfortunately I had a little accident in the Pyrenees a few days earlier so I was kinda immobile. With a dislocated ankle I was bound to stay near the car for a few days... Luckily in the Albarracin region even close to the car you can see lots of nice butterflies and I was already in the region in august 2012 so I didn't miss too much.

my swollen right ankle 2 days after my fall in the Pyrenees...

First day in the Albarracin region we spent in Moscardon at a height of approximately 1400-1500m.


Pyrgus cirsii

Carcharodus baeticus

Coenonympha dorus

Coenonympha (glycerion) iphioides

Colias croceus, male & female

Polyommatus (coridon) caelestissimus

Polyommatus damon

Polyommatus damon & Polyommatus fabressei

male Polyommatus nivescens

male Polyommatus nivescens