14 July. Aritso.
The western side of the Genneargentu range, plan for the morning was to explore the small roads leading into the hills above Aritso. Morning efforts considerably hindered by high cloud, though a good showing of Purple Hairstreaks around oaks at lower elevations - in a brief period of hazy sun, at least 20 active around a couple of oaks.
Climbing higher, clouds thickened and spots of rain basically closed down the day. Butterfly activity essentially halted, though it was relatively easy to find roosting butterflies, including a couple of Lang's Short-tailed Blues and two Corsican Idas Blues. And that is how the day remained until approximately 4 pm when a break in the clouds finally gave an hour of blue skies …and with it, an immediate transformation - mass butterfly activity, hundreds of individuals flying, everything from four species of fritillary and three species of grayling to numerous Southern Blues and Southern Brown Argus. And just as the day had begun, so it also ended with Purple Hairstreaks, a couple buzzing around the oaks as the sun again vanished behind cloud.
Despite the cloud, 28 species seen this day, not a bad total. Special mention needs also to go to Hummingbird Hawk Moths - flying even when cloudy, at least 60 noted today, loose flocks of then feeding at thistle heads.
The western side of the Genneargentu range, plan for the morning was to explore the small roads leading into the hills above Aritso. Morning efforts considerably hindered by high cloud, though a good showing of Purple Hairstreaks around oaks at lower elevations - in a brief period of hazy sun, at least 20 active around a couple of oaks.
Climbing higher, clouds thickened and spots of rain basically closed down the day. Butterfly activity essentially halted, though it was relatively easy to find roosting butterflies, including a couple of Lang's Short-tailed Blues and two Corsican Idas Blues. And that is how the day remained until approximately 4 pm when a break in the clouds finally gave an hour of blue skies …and with it, an immediate transformation - mass butterfly activity, hundreds of individuals flying, everything from four species of fritillary and three species of grayling to numerous Southern Blues and Southern Brown Argus. And just as the day had begun, so it also ended with Purple Hairstreaks, a couple buzzing around the oaks as the sun again vanished behind cloud.
Despite the cloud, 28 species seen this day, not a bad total. Special mention needs also to go to Hummingbird Hawk Moths - flying even when cloudy, at least 60 noted today, loose flocks of then feeding at thistle heads.