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Baltic Butterfly Challenge, 2016
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<blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3435383" data-attributes="member: 12449"><p><strong>New Species for Lithuania and the Baltic States!!!</strong></p><p></p><p>30 July 2016 </p><p></p><p>I was back on the southern borderlands of Lithuania, seeking <strong>Chalkhill Blues</strong> again. Still <strong>Marbled Whites </strong>in the area, several in the same areas as the week before, plus a new population of at least 17 at another locality. Pretty impressive influx, only four individuals ever in Lithuania prior to 2016, and I had now seen at least 58 in the space of seven days!</p><p></p><p>As in the previous week, <strong>Chalkhill Blue</strong> hunting wasn't successful, I think still too early in the season, but I was not complaining, not only were the <strong>Marbled Whites</strong> floating about, but also a whole bunch of other highly localized or scarce species, six <strong>Silver-spotted Skippers</strong>, four <strong>Eastern Bath Whites</strong>, three <strong>Camberwell Beauties</strong>, a <strong>Bluespot Hairstreak</strong> and two <strong>Reverdin's Blues</strong> amongst them, along with <strong>Swallowtails</strong>, <strong>Pale Clouded Yellows</strong> and two dozen other species.</p><p></p><p>One of this prepared me for one of the last butterflies of the day however - I was just wondering why the sirens of a border patrol vehicle were wailing when I spotted a moderate-sized blue species fly past, distinctively pale on the underside. Initially thought it might be the <strong>Chalkhill Blue</strong> I was seeking, but when it landed, I was absolutely gobsmacked! Highly distinctive scalloped rear edge to the wings, surely this was not what I thought it was! I followed it round for a while, eventually getting a few nice photographs, my mind simultaneously trying to find alternative identifications to what was in reality clear. But here was nothing else it could be - the butterfly was a female <strong>Meleager's Blue</strong>, a species I had previously seen in southern France, but one I was pretty sure had never been recorded in Lithuania before!</p><p></p><p>Back at the car, two friendly border guards were waiting for me, but shucks, even if they hadn't been friendly, I wouldn't have cared ...I had just discovered a new species for the country.</p><p></p><p>Subsequent checking confirmed that this butterfly had indeed never been recorded in Lithuania or elsewhere in the Baltic States. With a distribution range stretching from southern Europe through to Ukraine, the nearest known populations are in southern Poland, approximately 380 km to the south. Species number 103 for my Baltic year, number 98 for the Lithuanian year and what a cracker!</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>BALTIC YEAR LIST</p><p></p><p> <strong>103. Meleager's Blue</strong> (98 in Lithuania)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jos Stratford, post: 3435383, member: 12449"] [b]New Species for Lithuania and the Baltic States!!![/b] 30 July 2016 I was back on the southern borderlands of Lithuania, seeking [B]Chalkhill Blues[/B] again. Still [B]Marbled Whites [/B]in the area, several in the same areas as the week before, plus a new population of at least 17 at another locality. Pretty impressive influx, only four individuals ever in Lithuania prior to 2016, and I had now seen at least 58 in the space of seven days! As in the previous week, [B]Chalkhill Blue[/B] hunting wasn't successful, I think still too early in the season, but I was not complaining, not only were the [B]Marbled Whites[/B] floating about, but also a whole bunch of other highly localized or scarce species, six [B]Silver-spotted Skippers[/B], four [B]Eastern Bath Whites[/B], three [B]Camberwell Beauties[/B], a [B]Bluespot Hairstreak[/B] and two [B]Reverdin's Blues[/B] amongst them, along with [B]Swallowtails[/B], [B]Pale Clouded Yellows[/B] and two dozen other species. One of this prepared me for one of the last butterflies of the day however - I was just wondering why the sirens of a border patrol vehicle were wailing when I spotted a moderate-sized blue species fly past, distinctively pale on the underside. Initially thought it might be the [B]Chalkhill Blue[/B] I was seeking, but when it landed, I was absolutely gobsmacked! Highly distinctive scalloped rear edge to the wings, surely this was not what I thought it was! I followed it round for a while, eventually getting a few nice photographs, my mind simultaneously trying to find alternative identifications to what was in reality clear. But here was nothing else it could be - the butterfly was a female [B]Meleager's Blue[/B], a species I had previously seen in southern France, but one I was pretty sure had never been recorded in Lithuania before! Back at the car, two friendly border guards were waiting for me, but shucks, even if they hadn't been friendly, I wouldn't have cared ...I had just discovered a new species for the country. Subsequent checking confirmed that this butterfly had indeed never been recorded in Lithuania or elsewhere in the Baltic States. With a distribution range stretching from southern Europe through to Ukraine, the nearest known populations are in southern Poland, approximately 380 km to the south. Species number 103 for my Baltic year, number 98 for the Lithuanian year and what a cracker! BALTIC YEAR LIST [B]103. Meleager's Blue[/B] (98 in Lithuania) [/QUOTE]
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