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Purple-edged Copper
Lycaena hippothoe
1st July 2019. Picos de Europa. Spain.
Nectaring in a high alpine meadow, this gorgeous male Purple-edged Copper posed most obligingly on an orchid flowerhead, making for an irresistable photo-opportunity! I am used to seeing this butterfly in good numbers in the Alps of south-east France, where the local form lacks the purple edging, so it was nice to find some examples such as this one, in the Picos, showing where the species gets its name.
1st July 2019. Picos de Europa. Spain.
Nectaring in a high alpine meadow, this gorgeous male Purple-edged Copper posed most obligingly on an orchid flowerhead, making for an irresistable photo-opportunity! I am used to seeing this butterfly in good numbers in the Alps of south-east France, where the local form lacks the purple edging, so it was nice to find some examples such as this one, in the Picos, showing where the species gets its name.
False Mallow Skipper
Carcharodus tripolinus
30th September 2018. Cadiz coast. Spain.
I was fortunate to find a reasonably fresh example of this butterfly during a late season trip out to south-west Spain in 2018. This species has a European distribution that is confined to the very south of Spain and Portugal, and is largely coastal.
30th September 2018. Cadiz coast. Spain.
I was fortunate to find a reasonably fresh example of this butterfly during a late season trip out to south-west Spain in 2018. This species has a European distribution that is confined to the very south of Spain and Portugal, and is largely coastal.
Zeller's Skipper
Borbo borbonica
1st October 2018. Benalup. Spain.
This skipper is a bit special! So special that I made a trip out to southern Spain in early autumn for the sole purpose of tracking it down. It is an African species that has managed to establish itself in a few remote areas of south-west Spain. It was quite a challenge to navigate the remote roads and landscape to reach colonies of this beauty, but I was lucky to find it in excellent numbers along the edge of agricultural land, besides rice paddy irrigation channels and in riverside habitat. It is a very fast, powerful butterfly, hard to approach, follow in flight and even harder to photograph. The bronze colouration of the underside is very distinctive. I was very happy to manage to get a few shots of this unforgettable species!
1st October 2018. Benalup. Spain.
This skipper is a bit special! So special that I made a trip out to southern Spain in early autumn for the sole purpose of tracking it down. It is an African species that has managed to establish itself in a few remote areas of south-west Spain. It was quite a challenge to navigate the remote roads and landscape to reach colonies of this beauty, but I was lucky to find it in excellent numbers along the edge of agricultural land, besides rice paddy irrigation channels and in riverside habitat. It is a very fast, powerful butterfly, hard to approach, follow in flight and even harder to photograph. The bronze colouration of the underside is very distinctive. I was very happy to manage to get a few shots of this unforgettable species!
Zeller's Skipper
Borbo borbonica
5th October 2018. Benalup. Spain.
See previous image for commentary.
5th October 2018. Benalup. Spain.
See previous image for commentary.
Desert Orange Tip
Colotis evagore
25th March 2018. Almeria coast. Spain.
I first saw this lovely orange tip back in 2016, in early April. I spent a frustrating hour or so trying to photograph a male that was flying relentlessly up and down a coastal hillside, landing fleetingly and generally testing my patience! Two years later at the same location I was fortunate to be able to get up close and personal with several males. In Europe it is confined to the extreme south of Spain, where it is quite localised, and generally commoner as the season progresses, with numbers peaking in late summer or early autumn. I was very happy to finally capture this image of a fresh male Desert Orange Tip.
25th March 2018. Almeria coast. Spain.
I first saw this lovely orange tip back in 2016, in early April. I spent a frustrating hour or so trying to photograph a male that was flying relentlessly up and down a coastal hillside, landing fleetingly and generally testing my patience! Two years later at the same location I was fortunate to be able to get up close and personal with several males. In Europe it is confined to the extreme south of Spain, where it is quite localised, and generally commoner as the season progresses, with numbers peaking in late summer or early autumn. I was very happy to finally capture this image of a fresh male Desert Orange Tip.
Desert Orange Tip
Colotis evagore
25th March 2018. Almeria coast. Spain.
The female of this species is possibly even more attractive than the male. A true beauty from the extreme south of the Iberian peninsula!
25th March 2018. Almeria coast. Spain.
The female of this species is possibly even more attractive than the male. A true beauty from the extreme south of the Iberian peninsula!
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
1st October 2018. Cadiz coast. Spain.
This is a hugely impressive butterfly, large, powerful and yet simultaneously graceful. There are few places in Europe where you are likely to find it, but the south of Spain is as good a place as any to search. I was fortunate to find a nice colony of Monarchs close to the coast in Cadiz province, west of Tarifa. The habitat was a damp gulley leading down to the sea, with abundant milkweed plants. This individual was kind enough to pose nicely!
1st October 2018. Cadiz coast. Spain.
This is a hugely impressive butterfly, large, powerful and yet simultaneously graceful. There are few places in Europe where you are likely to find it, but the south of Spain is as good a place as any to search. I was fortunate to find a nice colony of Monarchs close to the coast in Cadiz province, west of Tarifa. The habitat was a damp gulley leading down to the sea, with abundant milkweed plants. This individual was kind enough to pose nicely!
False Baton Blue
Pseudophilotes abencerragus
5th May 2010. Andalucia. Spain.
This photograph is of my one and only sighting of a False Baton Blue, taken along a rough track around the side of a mountain near the village of El Gastor in Andalucia. Ironically, I photographed it back in 2010, but only realised its identity when I was retrospectively reviewing some old photographs during 2020. I originally had this down as a Panoptes Blue!
5th May 2010. Andalucia. Spain.
This photograph is of my one and only sighting of a False Baton Blue, taken along a rough track around the side of a mountain near the village of El Gastor in Andalucia. Ironically, I photographed it back in 2010, but only realised its identity when I was retrospectively reviewing some old photographs during 2020. I originally had this down as a Panoptes Blue!
Iberian Scarce Swallowtail
Iphiclides feisthamelii
27th March 2018. Sierra de los Filabres. Spain.
Not particularly scarce by any means, the Iberian Scarce Swallowtail was only separated from the Scarce Swallowtail that is found across much of Europe relatively recently, and is only found in Spain and just across the border into France. These beauties are a delight to observe on the wing, as they glide and hang in the air, kite-like. I never tire of seeing them.
27th March 2018. Sierra de los Filabres. Spain.
Not particularly scarce by any means, the Iberian Scarce Swallowtail was only separated from the Scarce Swallowtail that is found across much of Europe relatively recently, and is only found in Spain and just across the border into France. These beauties are a delight to observe on the wing, as they glide and hang in the air, kite-like. I never tire of seeing them.
Turquoise Blue
Polyommatus dorylas
5th July 2019. Picos de Europa. Spain.
This butterfly is quite widespread in central and southern Europe, but I have never seen it in any numbers. It seems to turn up in ones and twos in a range of habitats and altitudes. It has a lovely sky blue upperside, and a subtly different underside pattern. This one was photographed quite high up in an alpine meadow, with the light catching the upperwings just right to show off its bright colouration.
5th July 2019. Picos de Europa. Spain.
This butterfly is quite widespread in central and southern Europe, but I have never seen it in any numbers. It seems to turn up in ones and twos in a range of habitats and altitudes. It has a lovely sky blue upperside, and a subtly different underside pattern. This one was photographed quite high up in an alpine meadow, with the light catching the upperwings just right to show off its bright colouration.
Spanish Greenish Black-Tip
Euchloe bazae
6th April 2016. Hoya de Baza. Spain.
It is hard to put into words just how exciting it was to meet up with this great rarity in its unique habitat in the "badlands" of the Hoya de Baza. The Hoya is a large area of sparsely vegetated hills, interspersed with patches of flatter agricultural lands. This butterfly breeds at low density across this large territory. Males gather at particular high points, waiting for mate-seeking females to appear, a pairing strategy known as "hilltopping", and it is these hilltops that give the best chance of seeing these beauties. They fly predominantly during March and April when the weather here can be cool and windy, but when the sun comes out, there is every chance that this small, intensely yellow butterfly will appear. The excitement when this happens is electric! The males are very aggressive defenders of their hilltop territories. I had the pleasure of seeing this species in early April 2016, and again in late March 2018. Truly unforgettable!
6th April 2016. Hoya de Baza. Spain.
It is hard to put into words just how exciting it was to meet up with this great rarity in its unique habitat in the "badlands" of the Hoya de Baza. The Hoya is a large area of sparsely vegetated hills, interspersed with patches of flatter agricultural lands. This butterfly breeds at low density across this large territory. Males gather at particular high points, waiting for mate-seeking females to appear, a pairing strategy known as "hilltopping", and it is these hilltops that give the best chance of seeing these beauties. They fly predominantly during March and April when the weather here can be cool and windy, but when the sun comes out, there is every chance that this small, intensely yellow butterfly will appear. The excitement when this happens is electric! The males are very aggressive defenders of their hilltop territories. I had the pleasure of seeing this species in early April 2016, and again in late March 2018. Truly unforgettable!
Lorquin's Blue
Cupido lorquinii
3rd May 2010. Andalucia. Spain.
This is another species with a largely North African distribution, also found locally in parts of southern Spain and Portugal in dry grassland habitats. This example is the only one that I have seen, an attractive small blue butterfly related to our own Small Blue, and the similar Osiris Blue, but with the males having a rather different upperside.
3rd May 2010. Andalucia. Spain.
This is another species with a largely North African distribution, also found locally in parts of southern Spain and Portugal in dry grassland habitats. This example is the only one that I have seen, an attractive small blue butterfly related to our own Small Blue, and the similar Osiris Blue, but with the males having a rather different upperside.
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