There were butterflies everywhere I looked. First off was a Silver-studded Blue. At least I think it was, as I am still a little uncertain about the difference between Silver-studded and Idas Blues in the Sierra Nevada.
There were some Small Skippers flying there.
Also some beautiful Marsh Fritillaries each with their favourite perch that they would return to when disturbed.
Obviously Small Whites were the most numerous butterfly there, too, but close behind were Common Blues. I must have seen more than 15 of them.
Other common butterflies were Meadow Browns and Wall Browns.
I was also really pleased to see Mother-of-Pearl Blues. These are really beautiful butterflies and there were several of them flying there this year.
Again, there were plenty of Wall Browns, Bath Whites and Clouded Yellows.
Quite a number of butterflies flew past, which I could identify, but they didn't land. These included Black-veined Whites, Large Whites and Cleopatras. There were also a few that I couldn't identify, that looked as though they were Graylings of some kind.
I took a picture of this skipper and later identified it as a Large Grizzled Skipper.
There were a few Knapweed Fritillaries, which had taken up territory on prominent branches, seeing off any other butterflies that flew anywhere near.
I also saw lots of little Southern Brown Argus flying...
...and after I returned home and looked at my pictures, I noticed that some of them were Mountain Argus.
I also saw a few Speckled Woods, which I haven't seen in the Sierra Nevada before.
I saw some Iberian Marbled Whites and a Red Underwing Skipper, but wasn't quick enough to photograph them.
Eventually, I had to drag myself away, knowing that I had a three hour drive to get back to the villa. It had been a fantastic day, though and in total I managed to identify 26 species. Not as many as I would have seen in July, but still a fantastic number in one day.
These are so interesting Nick. I was wondering if it happens with butterflies that they can be classified as either Old World or New World species, and that some are Universal. Some plants have definitely naturalized all over the world (such as milkweed), so some butterflies simply reproduce according to how those plants have spread. So they could even be seen as predictors of new plant subclassifications which existed somewhere else in the world and now have helped the Old World species become universal.
ReplyDeleteMaria, it is interesting to speculate how butterflies have spread across the world over the years. I think a lot is being learned at the moment through DNA sequencing. As you suggest butterfly food plants can be quite specific, so even if a butterfly is able to fly, or is blown, to a new location there is no guarantee it will be successful there. When I visited Mauritius I discovered that many of the species that occur there were introduced, mostly by mistake, by humans. This has mostly happened by importing plants with eggs or caterpillars on them. Similarly the Small White has moved from Europe to the USA and Australia on vegetables and more recently the Geranium Bronze has been brought to Europe on cultivated Geraniums. It is now widespread across southern Europe, and although it has been brought on Geraniums to the UK the winters are too cold for it so survive. I think the European Swallowtail is known as the Old World Swallowtail in the USA.
DeleteThe one butterfly that I am aware of that has spread across the globe under its own power is the Painted Lady, which can be found almost anywhere. The Monarch, too, not only does its annual migration between Mexico and northern America, but has also settled in Central America, the Caribbean, the Canary Islands and southern Europe.
You're right, the monarch is a great example of adaptation, specially in the Caribbean, as it thrives on weedy milkweed shrubs that grow in highly urbanized areas and doesn't migrate.
DeleteAnother interesting matter is that our Caribbean monarchs feed on Calotropis procera, an Old World milkweed species that colonized the island long time ago. Now that's really amazing since this milkweed is native to Asia and Africa.
DeleteHello Nick :)
ReplyDeleteLovly array of butfly photos. I ill have o kp this short a last nigh I spilt rahr a lo o liuid wood polih on my dsktop and t h ky don't work. now. I will hav o buy a new ompur