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

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

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

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