BIRDWALKERMONDAY

This Blog contains Wildlife and Bird Photos from Walks, Safaris, Birding Trips and Vacations. Most of the pictures have been taken with my Nikon P900 and P950X cameras. On the right of the page are labels for each species of Bird/Animal etc. Click on a label and it will show all of the photos taken for that species. I am adding information for each species from sources like Wikipedia. To see any pictures at a large size just click on the image.

Wednesday 4 August 2021

Tuesday 3 August 2021

2-8-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN TUBE WASP (Ancistrocerus gazella)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/318882-Ancistrocerus-gazella

2-8-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - CATALONIA WALL LIZARD (Podarcis liolepis)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/35666-Podarcis-liolepis

2-8-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - ANGLE MOTH (Itame vincularia)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/319207-Itame-vincularia

Monday 2 August 2021

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - WHITE ANGLED SULPHUR BUTTERFLY (Anteos clorinde)

Anteos clorinde, the white angled-sulphur, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. The species was originally described by Jean-Baptiste Godart in 1824.

It is found in South America, Central America, and southern North America.

The wingspan is 70–90 mm. The butterfly flies year round in the tropical parts of its range and from August to December in the north.

The larvae feed on Senna spectabilis.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - AMANDA'S BLUE BUTTERFLY (Polyommatus amandus)

Polyommatus amandus, the Amanda's blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm.

With a wingspan of 29 to 35 mm (1.1 to 1.4 in), Amanda's blue is noticeably larger than most of the "blue" butterflies, which is particularly apparent when they are flying. The upperside of the male's wings is a silvery blue or sky blue, often, but not always, with a broad dark border and a narrow black marginal line with an outermost white line. The upperside of the female's wings is in some populations dark blue edged with brown but in other populations is medium brown with a row of orange half-moon shaped lunules near the edges. The hind margin has red blotches. The underside of the male's wings are light grey with white-edged black blotches. The underside of the female's wings is similar but they are a rich creamy-brown colour with red blotches, especially on the margins of the hindwings and a series of black spots with white rims, often touching, forming a row parallel to the margin of the wings. The basal areas of the underwings are turquoise. The wingspan is 28 to 36 mm (1.1 to 1.4 in).

22-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - CHECKERSPOT BUTTERFLY (Castilia perilla)

The tribe Melitaeini is of worldwide distribution. It includes the Crescents and Checkerspots of North America, and many familiar European species such as the Marsh, Spotted and Heath Fritillaries.

Castilia are very closely related to Eresia, Anthanassa and Janatella, so closely in fact that these genera can only be distinguished by microscopic examination of the male genitalia.

The 13 Castilia species fall into 2 distinct groups. The first group includes ofella, myia and angusta, all of which have whitish spots on the forewings and a broad white or creamy median band on the hindwings. These markings are repeated on the underside which is yellowish and has a series of crescents around the hindwing margins. The second group includes castilla, northbrundii, neria and perilla, all of which have blackish wings marked with patches of orange. The under surface of their hindwings is dark brown, with the veins picked out in black. These butterflies are very convincing Batesian mimics of Altinote species. The latter are toxic / unpalatable to birds, so the similarity of markings undoubtedly provides the Castilia species with a degree of protection against predation.

Castilia perilla occurs in several different colour forms, and it is quite common to find two or more forms of this species flying at any given site. Each form mimics a different Altinote or Abananote species, e.g. acraeina is a mimic of Altinote negra euclia, and aricilla mimics Abananote erinome.

The butterfly is common and widely distributed in Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil and Peru.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - BLACK VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY (Aporia crataegi)

Aporia crataegi, the black-veined white, is a large butterfly of the family Pieridae. A. crataegi is widespread and common. Its range extends from northwest Africa in the west to Transcaucasia and across the Palearctic to Siberia and Japan in the east. In the south, it is found in Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Syria. It is not usually present in the British Isles or northern Scandinavia.

It occurs in open forest, grazing land, orchards. lanes, gardens, meadows and thickets throughout most of Europe, temperate Asia, Korea, and Japan. This species has been extirpated from the British Isles, but unofficial attempts have been made to reintroduce this species in southern England.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - LIGURIAN EMPEROR MOTH (Saturnia pavoniella)

Saturnia pavoniella is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is found in the alpine regions of Austria, Italy (including Sicily) and the Czech Republic across south-eastern Europe to northern Turkey and the Caucasus. It is possibly also present in south-eastern France.

The wingspan is 45–70 mm (1.8–2.8 in) for males and 50–95 mm (2.0–3.7 in) for females. Adults are on wing from February to June. In northern Greece they are mainly found in May.

The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants. Recorded foodplants include Rubus, Prunus spinosa, Crataegus, Quercus, Carpinus, Betula, Salix, Erica, Vaccinium, Spiraea, Filipendula, Lythrum, Potentilla, Rosa, Callun.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - SOUTHERN FESTOON BUTTERFLY (Zerynthia polyxena)

Zerynthia polyxena, the southern festoon, is a butterfly belonging to the butterfly family Papilionidae.

These rare butterflies can be found in warm, sunny and open places such as grassy herb-rich meadows, vineyards, river banks, wetlands, cultivated areas, brushy places, wasteland, rocky cliffs and karst terrains, at an elevation of from 0 to 1,700 metres above sea level but usually below 900 metres.

It is an early spring butterfly. Adults fly from April to June in a single brood. The adults are active for no more than three weeks. The females lay their eggs singly or in small groups at the bottom of the host plants. When found in the wild they prefer to live and lay their eggs in densely vegetated areas, and there is a positive correlation between number of leaves on the host plant and number of eggs laid by females. The eggs are spherical and whitish at first, bluish colored before hatching. The caterpillars feed on birthworts (mainly (Aristolochia clematitis, Aristolochia rotunda, Aristolochia pistolochia, Aristolochia pallida). The special food of the larvae provides the toxic substances which then also go to the adults, making them unpalatable. The young caterpillars feed at first on flowers and young shoots, while after the second molt they feed on leaves. The pupae stay linked to a support by a silk belt for wintering and the new adults hatch the next spring.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - MESKE'S UNDERWING MOTH (Catocala meskei)

Catocala meskei, or Meske's underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. It is found in North America from Maine and Quebec west to southern Alberta and Montana, south to South Carolina in the east and at least Montana in the west.

Lectotype of Catocala rosalinda, now considered a synonym of Catocala meskei

The wingspan is 65–75 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Populus and Salix species.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - REED TUSSOCK MOTH (Laelia coenosa)

Laelia coenosa, the reed tussock, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is found in North Africa, southern and central Europe, through Russia and eastern Asia up to Japan.

The wingspan is 35–50 mm. In the male the forewings are whitish ochreous, brownish tinged, especially towards the costa. There is a very indistinct fuscous discal dot and a posterior series of several fuscous dots between veins. The hindwings are whitish, towards apex brownish tinged. In the female the forewings and hindwings are whitish. Larva blackish, hairs yellowish; pencils on 2 and 12 brownish or blackish, tufts on 5 through 8 yellowish.

The larvae primarily feed on Phragmites australis and Phragmites communis, but also Festuca, Carex and Cladium species. The moth flies from July to August depending on the location.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - CURRANT SPANWORM MOTH (Macaria ribearia)

Macaria ribearia, the currant spanworm, is a species of geometrid moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in North America.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - DARK GREEN FRITILLIARY BUTTERFLY (Argynnis aglaja)

The dark green fritillary (Speyeria aglaja) is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The insect has a wide range in the Palearctic realm - Europe, Morocco, Iran, Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea, and Japan.

The large fritillary is fiery reddish yellow above, the basal area of the male being always duller. The markings are constant: a black margin, a row of deep black but thin marginal arcs, a very straight, central row of dots, of which only the last one of the forewing is shifted distad; between this row of dots and the base there are six thin black transverse bands extending from the subcostal vein into the wing. The underside of the hindwing is characteristic; it bears numerous silver-spots on a partly verdigris partly leather-yellow ground, but never a row of ocelli in the marginal area, as is the case in the forms of the Niobe fritillary (Fabriciana niobe) and high brown fritillary (F. adippe).

## 2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - POSTMAN BUTTERFLY (Heliconius melpomene)

Heliconius melpomene, the postman butterfly, common postman or simply postman, is a brightly colored, geographically variable butterfly species found throughout Central and South America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its coloration coevolved with another member of the genus, H. erato as a warning to predators of its inedibility; this is an example of Müllerian mimicry. H. melpomene was one of the first butterfly species observed to forage for pollen, a behavior that is common in other insect groups but rare in butterflies. Because of the recent rapid evolutionary radiation of the genus Heliconius and overlapping of its habitat with other related species, H. melpomene has been the subject of extensive study on speciation and hybridization. These hybrids tend to have low fitness as they look different from the original species and no longer exhibit Müllerian mimicry.

Heliconius melpomene possesses ultraviolet vision which enhances its ability to distinguish subtle differences between markings on the wings of other butterflies. This allows the butterfly to avoid mating with other species that share the same geographic range.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - CARDINAL BUTTERFLY (Argynnis pandora)

Argynnis pandora, the cardinal, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is common throughout southern Europe and is also found in northern Africa and the Middle east and then east across the Palearctic to the Tian-Shan andnorthwestern India.

The wingspan is 64–80 mm. A. pandora Schiff. (= cinara F., maja Cr.) (71c). The largest European Argynnis. Above stronglyre calling valesina, but brighter greenish, densely spotted with black. Beneath quite different, the apex of the forewing and the hindwing bright green, the disc of the forewing fleshy red and spotted with deep black, the hindwing with a few narrow bands, which are more white than silvery and vary strongly in number and development.In ab. dacica Horinuz., a kind of valesina-form from Roumania, the basal area of both wings darkened, contrasting with the distal area, which is slightly paler than usual. — pasargades Fruhst.[now subspeciesA. p. pasargades], from the Alexander Mts., has the whole upperside pale, especially the forewing, which has hardly a trace of green, being also paler yellow beneath, with the black markings reduced. — seitzi Fruhst.[now subspecies A. p. seitzi Fruhstorfer, 1908] (71c) has been described fromspecimens found by me [Stichel] in the Aures Mts. in Algeria. Larger than European individuals, paler green beneath, darker greenish yellow above; the black markings more prominent and abundant, often confluent. — paupercula' Ragusa has no silvery white bands and spots; especially in the southern districts, where it is locally the prevalent form, for instance in Algeria. — Larva purplish brown, with black head, without the yellow dorsal stripe of paphia, otherwise similar to the latter, but the spines shorter; on the back of each segment a velvety black spot with 2 white dashes; until June on Viola. The species occurs particularly in the Mediterranean countries, being found in North Africa, the Canaries, Spain, South France northward to the Valais, where it approaches the German frontier, also in Italy, the south of Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Asia Minor, going eastward to the Tian-shan; plentiful in some places. The butterflies are on the wing from June onwards; their flight is fast and graceful, rushing or swimming, and they usually settle on those branches of trees which hang over the road, or on thistle-heads.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - CELADON SISTER BUTTERFLY (Adelpha serpa)

Adelpha serpa, the celerio sister, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1836. It is found from Mexico to Brazil. The habitat consists of rainforests and cloudforests at elevations ranging from 300 to 2,000 meters.

The butterfly is 50–55 mm.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - CHALKHILL BLUE BUTTERFLY (Polyommatus coridon)

Agriades optilete, the cranberry blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in north eastern Europe, the Alps, North Asia, Japan, Korea and north western North America.

The length of the forewings is about 14 mm. The chalkhill blue (Lysandra coridon) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is a small butterfly that can be found throughout the Palearctic realm, where it occurs primarily in grasslands rich in chalk. Males have a pale blue colour, while females are brown. Both have chequered fringes around their wings.

Lysandra coridon has a wingspan of 30–36 millimetres (1.2–1.4 in). These small butterflies present a sexual dimorphism. The males having pale silvery-blue upperside of the wings with a submarginal line of grey spots on the hindwings and a thin brown and white chequered fringe. Females have dark brown upperside of wings, with marginal orange spots and also with chequered fringes. The underside of the wings show a light ochre colouration, several dark spots surrounded by white, a submarginal line of black marks, a series of marginal orange spots on the hindwings and a blue dusting near the body.

As with many blue butterflies, separation from similar species in the field is on the underside markings. Aberrations are common.

22-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - WHITES BUTTERFLY (Genus Dixeia)

Dixeia, commonly called the small whites, is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Pierini in the family Pieridae that are found mainly in Africa.

They are not to be confused with the cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, which is referred to as the "small white" in several European nations.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - LARGE TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY (Nymphalis polychloros)

Butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

The species is found in North Africa, southern and central Europe, Turkey, southern Russia, the central and southern Urals, Kazakhstan and the Himalayas. In Central Europe they occur in the warmer regions, but have become generally rare. By contrast, they are still common in the Mediterranean and Southern Alps. They live in sparse forests and their edges, on dry shrubbery and in orchards. It is an extreme rarity in Britain, although it used to be widespread throughout England and Wales. Most of the specimens seen in Britain are thought to be captive-bred releases. These butterflies mainly inhabit woodland, especially with sallows (willows). However, there are indications that the large tortoiseshell is recolonising southern England.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - CRANBERRY BLUE BUTTERFLY (Agriades optilete)

The butterfly flies from June to August depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Vaccinium oxycoccos, Empetrum nigrum, bilberry and other cranberry and Empetrum species.

L. optilete Knoch (79 b). This species is quite out of place in the present group of Lycaena in characters as well as habits, and would be much better placed in a later group than here where it stands in Staudinger-Rebel's Catalogue. Both wings very broad and their outer margins strongly rounded. Male above very dull dark violet-blue, sometimes with a broader black margin, sometimes without black margin. In the female only the basal half of the upperside is dusted with glossy blue scales. Underside dirty dust-grey, the ocelli very large, often distorted; only the anal area of the hindwing beneath bears orange spots before the margin, from which they are separated by two large round dots with metallic centres. More in the North, in Central and North Europe as far as Scandinavia and the Baltic provinces, sporadic, on moors, also in the Alps in damp larch-woods, locally abundant. — Now and again the species appears in a smaller form, especially in the high Alps (Valais, Engadine), in Lapland, North Einland, and North Siberia. This is cyparissus Hbn. (79 b). Its underside is purer dust -grey, the black spots are smaller, more compact, sharper, more regularly arranged, less distorted or widened; the anal red of the hindwing beneath is usually reduced to one or 2 sharply defined spots, not being smear-like or dull as in true optilete. — The two forms are connected not only by the specimens from the Amur — sibirica Stgr. — , but also by transitions frequently found in West Siberia and Europe and sometimes approaching the one form and sometimes the other. The alpine specimens — cyparissus — cannot be separated from the northern ones, as optilete also flies in the Alps and cyparissus in the North. However, the individuals from the High Alps and the High North appear to incline more towards cyparissus, while the form flying on the Sphagnum-swamps of the warmer plains — particularly in North Germany — is the most normal optilete — In the Ural there flies a form with the ground-colour beneath black-grey; this is uralensis Courv. i. l. — ab. subtusradiata Favre are specimens in which the distortion of the ocelli has led to the appearance of rays. — Larva pale green, densely clothed with minute silky reddish yellow hair, and adorned with a light-yellow black-bordered lateral stripe; until June on Vaccinium myrtillus. Pupa rounded, obtuse, anteriorly dotted with small yellowish red hairs, green with yellow abdominal segments. The butterflies from the end of June towards September, locally plentiful, on moors, also in woods of high trees, where it is usually the only Blue found. The butterflies occur there mostly on more open places where there is a bush in the centre from which the males make short excursions. In the Alps often at small rills, here sometimes in large numbers (Zermatt, Eiffelhaus) and often in company with other Lycaenas. In consequence of the broad wings the flight is a little different from that of other Blues, recalling the flight of Cyaniris argiolus, but is low . In the Bucovina the species has been obtained at the end of June and in September, which however is no definite proof that there are two broods.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - LUNA MOTH (Actias luna)

The luna moth (Actias luna), also called the American moon moth, is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly named the giant silk moths.

The moth has lime-green wings and a white body. Its caterpillars are also green. Its typical wingspan is roughly 114 mm (4.5 in), but wingspans can exceed 178 mm (7.0 in), ranking the species as one of the larger moths in North America.

Across Canada, it has one generation per year, with the winged adults appearing in late May or early June, whereas farther south it will have two or even three generations per year, the first appearance as early as March in southern parts of the United States.

2-8-2021 SPACE MUSEUM, CUENCA - SPANISH CHALK HILL BUTTERFLY (Polyommatus albicans)

Lysandra albicans, the Spanish chalk-hill blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Spain and Western North Africa.

Description

The length of the forewings is 18–21 mm. The species of Lysandra are very similar and difficult to identify and L. albicans was once a subspecies of Lysandra coridon. It is the palest of the complex. The upperside of the male is almost white, adorned with a sub marginal line of gray dots, sometimes very discoloured on the forewings. In the female it is brown with a short submarginal line of orange spots very discoloured on the forewings. The underside of the male is white-coloured or very light grey-blue adorned with a submarginal line of light spots while the female is ochre adorned with brown dots and a submarginal line of brown dots surrounded by orange colour that surrounding brown dots.

Larvae feed on Capparis species.

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