I spent March 7th to May 19th 2022 and May 20th to July 8th 2023 based at Luzenac in the Ariège Mountains. This then is the first monthly review; a chance to take a another look at this great, mountain wilderness that is so rich in biodiversity. March in 2022 is surprisingly warm and often…
Tag: Fritillary Butterflies
Wet meadows in the Pyrénées-Orientales
2nd and 4th June 2023 The road to Spain and Andorra from Ax-les-Thermes is a busy, twisting road up a magnificent, mountain valley. Before the turn to Andorra, the main road to Barcelona cuts through a long tunnel which opens into a wide and open valley totally different in character to the steep valleys of…
A pearly day
Park Corner Heath in East Sussex is a postage stamp of acid grassland, heath and coppiced birch within a mixed woodland of planted pines and ancient beeches. The small reserve is managed for its butterflies and moths by Butterfly Conservation. The winter management by teams of volunteers maintains the clearings; this supports a range of…
South Charente and North Dordogne Fritillaries
Everywhere in the quiet borderland of the rivers Dronne and Lizonne/Nizonne there are fritillary butterflies, captivating in their intricate brown, orange and gold filigree patterns; all confusingly similar but subtly different. This then is a brief and provisional aide memoire on the six (or seven) common species which occur and thus a basis to compare and…