30-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY (Vanessa cardui)

Female painted lady butterflies have been observed to have a relatively "high biotic potential", meaning they each produce large numbers of offspring. This perpetual influx of reproduction may be a reason why these painted lady butterflies have propagated so successfully. One interesting aspect that scientists have observed is that these butterflies like to fly towards rain. Further studies have suggested that the large amounts of rainfall may somehow "activate more eggs or induce better larval development". Inhabited locations begin to observe a large influx of new generations of painted lady butterflies in the fall, particularly in September and October. Their reproductive success declines relatively throughout the winter, primarily through November. However, they still continue to reproduce—an aspect of butterfly behaviour that is quite unique. Scientists hypothesize that these extensive migratory patterns help the painted lady butterflies find suitable conditions for breeding, thus offering a possible reason as to why these butterflies mate continuously.

30-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WALL BROWN BUTTERFLY (Lasiommata megera)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/147298-Lasiommata-megera

Habitats include forest edges and clearings, shrubby areas in ravines and river valleys and sparse woodlands. It is also found in mountain habitats up to 0–3,000 metres (0–9,843 ft) above sea level.

30-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PEA BLUE BUTTERFLY (Lampides boeticus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/121993-Lampides-boeticus

This species inhabits the edge of forests, mountain meadows and hot flowery places at an elevation up to 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) above sea level.

This species may have three generations a year. Adults fly from February to early November and are strong migrants. Eggs are white with a greenish tinge and have a disc-shaped form. They can reach a diameter of 0.5 mm. They are laid singly on the flower buds of the host plants.

Old caterpillars are green or reddish-brown, with dark dorsal stripe. They reach a length of 14-15 mm. Pupae reach a length of 9-10 mm. They are light grayish-brown with medium-sized dark spots and dark dorsal stripe.

The larvae feed on flowers, seeds and pods of many Fabaceae species, including Medicago, Crotalaria, Polygala, Sutherlandia, Dolichos, Cytisus, Spartium and Lathyrus species.

29-4-2023 SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - ISSID PLANTHOPPER (Genus Issus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/141762-Issus

Planthoppers are usually 1/2 inch or less in length and have several large spines on the hind legs. Adults commonly have a keel, ridge, or snoutlike projection on the front of the head. Nymphs of some species excrete pale wax on plant parts where they feed. Adult females of some species also cover their egg laying sites with white wax or other excretions.

29-4-2023 SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - PICTURE WINGED FLY (Genus Dorycera)

 

Dorycera is a genus of picture-winged flies in the family Ulidiidae.

29-4-2023 SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN SERIN (FEMALE) (Serinus serinus)

The European serin is a small short-tailed bird, 11–12 cm in length. The upper parts are dark-streaked greyish green, with a yellow rump. The yellow breast and white belly are also heavily streaked. The male has a brighter yellow face and breast, yellow wing bars and yellow tail sides. The song of this bird is a buzzing trill, very familiar in Mediterranean countries.

It breeds across southern and central Europe and North Africa. Southern and Atlantic coast populations are largely resident, but the northern breeders migrate further south in Europe for the winter. Open woodland and cultivation, often with some conifers, is favoured for breeding. It builds its nest in a shrub or tree, laying 3–5 eggs. It forms flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches.

The food is mainly seeds, and, in the breeding season, insects. This small serin is an active and often conspicuous bird.

28-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED MONAESES CRAB SPIDER (Monaeses paradoxus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/676207-Monaeses-paradoxus

28-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - COTTONY CUSHION SCALE (Icerya purchasi)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60921-Icerya-purchasi

Icerya purchasi (common name: cottony cushion scale) is a scale insect that feeds on more than 80 families of woody plants, most notably on Citrus and Pittosporum. The cottony cushion scale originates from Australia.

This scale infests twigs and branches. The mature hermaphrodite is oval in shape, reddish-brown with black hairs, 5 mm long. When mature, the insect remains stationary, attaches itself to the plant by waxy secretions, and produces a white egg sac in grooves, by extrusion, in the body which encases hundreds of red eggs. The egg sac will grow to be two to three times as long as the body. Newly hatched nymphs are the primary dispersal stage, with dispersion known to occur by wind and by crawling. Early stage nymphs feed from the midrib veins of leaves and small twigs, and do the bulk of the damage. At each molt, they leave at the old feeding point the former skin and the waxy secretions in which they had covered themselves and from which their common name is derived. Unlike many other scale insects, they retain legs and a limited mobility in all life stages. Older nymphs migrate to larger twigs and eventually as adults to branches and the trunk. Their life cycle is highly temperature-dependent, as the length of time in each stage of life is longer in cold temperatures than high temperatures.

In addition to the direct damage from sap sucking, the insects also secrete honeydew, on which sooty mold often grows and causes further damage to the host plant. Some ants will also consume this honeydew.

27-4-2033 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - PUG MOTH (Genus Eupithecia)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/123096-Eupithecia

Eupithecia is the largest genus of moths of the family Geometridae, and the namesake and type genus of tribe Eupitheciini. Species in the genus are, like those of other genera in the tribe, commonly known as pugs. The genus is highly speciose, with over 1400 species, and members of the genus are present in most of the world with exception of Australasia. Roughly a quarter of described Eupithecia species occur in the Neotropical realm, where they have an especially high species diversity in the montane rain forests of the Andes. The genus includes a few agricultural pest species, such as the currant pug moth, Eupithecia assimilata, which is a pest on hops, and the cloaked pug moth, Eupithecia abietaria, which is a cone pest in spruce seed orchards

26-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - CASE BEARING LEAF BEETLE (Lachnaia tristigma)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/467526-Lachnaia-tristigma

Lachnaia tristigma is a species of leaf beetles from the subfamily Cryptocephalinae that can be found from north-west Africa to the Iberian Peninsula, in southern France and in Italy.

26-4-2023 ANNA, VALENCIA - GREYLAG GOOSE (JUVENILE) (Anser anser)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/7018-Anser-anser

Young greylags stay with their parents as a family group, migrating with them in a larger flock, and only dispersing when the adults drive them away from their newly established breeding territory the following year. At least in Europe, patterns of migration are well understood and follow traditional routes with known staging sites and wintering sites. The young learn these locations from their parents which normally stay together for life.

26-4-2023 ANNA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN SERIN (MALE) (Serinus serinus)

The European serin, or simply the serin (Serinus serinus), is the smallest species of the family of finches (Fringillidae) and is closely related to the Atlantic canary. Its diet consists mainly of a combination of buds and seeds.

The European serin is a small short-tailed bird, 11–12 cm in length. The upper parts are dark-streaked greyish green, with a yellow rump. The yellow breast and white belly are also heavily streaked. The male has a brighter yellow face and breast, yellow wing bars and yellow tail sides. The song of this bird is a buzzing trill, very familiar in Mediterranean countries.

It breeds across southern and central Europe and North Africa. Southern and Atlantic coast populations are largely resident, but the northern breeders migrate further south in Europe for the winter. Open woodland and cultivation, often with some conifers, is favoured for breeding. It builds its nest in a shrub or tree, laying 3–5 eggs. It forms flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches.

The food is mainly seeds, and, in the breeding season, insects. This small serin is an active and often conspicuous bird.

Tiny with very small, stubby bill. Both sexes are heavily streaked, with yellow rumps. Males have a bright yellow face and breast; this is gray-brown in females. Common in parks, gardens, cities, agricultural areas,and forest edges. Often sings from electricity wires, posts, TV antennas, and the tops of trees. Frantically fast song is often delivered in arcing song flight with "slow motion" wingbeats. Feeds on seeds and sometimes invertebrates.

26-4-2023 ANNA, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/13695-Motacilla-alba

The white wagtail (Motacilla alba ) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In Ireland and Great Britain, the darker subspecies, the pied wagtail or water wagtail (M. a. yarrellii ) predominates. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies.

White wagtails are usually seen alone or in pairs, but during migration, they often gather in flocks at good feeding areas or to roost at night. These birds feed by day on the ground or on the wing. They may also forage in shallow water catching prey in the mud or may hover over water. The most conspicuous habit of White wagtails is a near-constant tail wagging, a trait that has given the birds their common name. The reasons for this behavior are poorly understood but it has been suggested that wagtails may flush prey, or signal submissiveness to other wagtails. The call of these birds is a sharp 'chisick' and their song consists of twittering phrases; the males use a series of contact calls to attract the female.

26-4-2023 ANNA, VALENCIA - GREYLAG GOOSE (Anser anser)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/7018-Anser-anser

The greylag goose or graylag goose (Anser anser) is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus Anser. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and pink legs. A large bird, it measures between 74 and 91 centimetres (29 and 36 in) in length, with an average weight of 3.3 kilograms (7 lb 4 oz). Its distribution is widespread, with birds from the north of its range in Europe and Asia migrating southwards to spend the winter in warmer places. It is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic goose, having been domesticated at least as early as 1360 BC. 

26-4-2023 ANNA, VALENCIA - SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY (Pararge aegeria)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/160597850

Speckled wood butterflies are active during the day and feed on aphid honeydew, a sugary liquid excreted by small insects when they feed on plants. They also feed on flowers and fruits when aphid activity is low.

Their caterpillars feed on false brome, Yorkshire fog grass and other grasses.

 

26-4-2023 BICORP, VALENCIA - WALL BROWN BUTTERFLY (Lasiommata megera)

The species lives in North Africa, Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, the Middle East, western Siberia, northern Tian Shan, Dzungarian Alatau, Kazakhstan and Dzungaria.

Habitats include forest edges and clearings, shrubby areas in ravines and river valleys and sparse woodlands. It is also found in mountain habitats up to 0–3,000 metres (0–9,843 ft) above sea level.

26-4-2023 BICORP, VALENCIA - SPANISH GATEKEEPER BUTTERFLY (Pyronia bathseba)

Pyronia bathseba, the Spanish gatekeeper, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula and in France, Morocco, and Algeria. A similar gatekeeper species is Pyronia tithonus, which is found in northern Europe.

The larvae feed on Poaceae species, mainly Brachypodium species.

Pyronia bathseba, the Spanish gatekeeper, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula and in France, Morocco, and Algeria. A similar gatekeeper species is Pyronia tithonus, which is found in northern Europe.

The wingspan is 18–19 mm. The butterfly is on wing from May to July depending on the location.

26-4-2023 BICORP, VALENCIA - LULWORTH SKIPPER BUTTERFLY (Thymelicus acteon)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/362093-Thymelicus-acteon

The Lulworth skipper (Thymelicus acteon) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Its name is derived from Lulworth Cove in the county of Dorset, England, where the first specimens in Great Britain were collected in 1832 by English naturalist James Charles Dale.

The species occurs locally across Central Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, where its population is considered stable. Its numbers have declined in Northern Europe, leading to its European status of "vulnerable". Its range in Britain is restricted to the south coast of Dorset, however it is locally abundant and its numbers currently are perhaps at their greatest since its discovery there.

With a wingspan of 24 to 28 millimetres, females being larger than males, the Lulworth skipper is a small butterfly, the smallest member of the genus Thymelicus in Europe and among the smallest butterflies in Britain. Aside from the size difference, the sexes are distinguished by females having a distinct circle of golden marks on each forewing. Due to their likeness to the rays around the eye of a peacock's feather, these are often known as "sun-ray" markings, and they can faintly appear on males.

26-4-2023 BICORP, VALENCIA - IBERIAN GREEN FROG (Pelophylax perezi)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/66331-Pelophylax-perezi

The Perez's frog (Pelophylax perezi), also known as Iberian waterfrog, Iberian green frog or Coruna frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is native to southern France, Portugal, Spain, and has been introduced to the Canary and Balearic Islands, Madeira, the United Kingdom, and the Azores. In the Iberian Peninsula it is widespread and common.

Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, sandy shores, arable land, and urban areas.

25-4-2025 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EMERALD MOTH (Phaiogramma faustinata)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/494405-Phaiogramma-faustinata

25-4-2025 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPECKLED FOOTMAN MOTH (Coscinia cribraria)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/130874-Coscinia-cribraria

Coscinia cribraria, the speckled footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe except the most northern parts; also in north-western Africa, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Mongolia, north-western and north-eastern China.

The wingspan is 30–35 mm. The moth flies from July to August depending on the location.

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, including Festuca, Calluna vulgaris and Plantago lanceolata.

25-4-2025 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MOORISH GECKO (Tarentola mauritanica)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/33602-Tarentola-mauritanica

Tarentola mauritanica, known as the common wall gecko, is a species of gecko (Gekkota) native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It has been introduced to Madeira and Balearic Islands, and the Americas (in Montevideo, Buenos Aires and California). A nocturnal animal with a predominantly insectivorous diet, it is commonly observed on walls in urban environments in warm coastal areas; it can be found further inland, especially in Spain where it has a tradition of cohabitation with humans as an insect hunter. A robust species, up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, its tubercules are enlarged and give the species a spiny armoured appearance.

The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is also known as moorish gecko, crocodile gecko, European common gecko, and, regionally, as osga (in Portuguese), salamanquesa (in Spanish) and dragó (in Catalan).

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/11901-Hirundo-rustica

The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. In Anglophone Europe it is just called the swallow; in northern Europe it is the only common species called a "swallow" rather than a "martin".

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - RED VALERIAN (Centranthus ruber)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/57283-Centranthus-ruber

Centranthus ruber, the red valerian, spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox's brush, devil's beard or Jupiter's beard, is a popular garden plant grown for its ornamental flowers.

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY (Pieris brassicae)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55401-Pieris-brassicae

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - IBERIAN SCARCE SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Iphiclides feisthamelii)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/130391-Iphiclides-feisthamelii

After many years being considered a subspecies of the scarce swallowtail I. podalirius this taxon can now be accepted as a full species.

Identification & Similar species: Compared to the scarce swallowtail I. podalirius, this species has a white/ grey-white rather than yellowish ground colour, but sometimes with faint yellow in the female. Markings are also darker, at least in the spring brood. The differences are subtle...

Genetalia are reportedly slightly different and there is some differentiation in mitochondrial DNA.

Distribution & Flight: North Africa, Spain and southwest France. There may be overlap with the scarce swallowtail I. podalirius in some areas particularly as these are mobile butterflies. Flies from March or April to the end of summer in multiple broods.

Habitat & Behaviour: Diverse habitats: scrub, meadows, parks, gardens, coasts to mountains.

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/56529-Papilio-machaon

Papilio machaon, the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this species was the first to be given the name). It is the type species of the genus Papilio. This widespread species is found in much of the Palearctic (it is the only swallowtail in most of Europe) and in North America.

There are usually two to three broods in a year, but in northern areas, the species may be univoltine. In some places such as the UK, some will pupate and emerge in the same year and others will overwinter as pupae before emerging the following year, a situation known as being partially bivoltine.

The caterpillar spends the first part of its life with the appearance of a bird dropping, an effective defense against predators. As the caterpillar grows larger, it becomes green with black and orange markings. It has a defense against predators in the form of an osmeterium, which consists of retractable, fleshy projections behind its head that can release a foul smell if disturbed, which deters insects, but not birds.

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY (Pontia daplidice)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/123810-Pontia-daplidice

Pontia daplidice, the Bath white, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, the yellows and whites, which occurs in the Palearctic region. It is common in central and southern Europe, migrating northwards every summer, often reaching southern Scandinavia and sometimes southern England.

The Bath white is a small white butterfly with a wingspan of 45 to 50 mm. The underside of the hindwing has a pattern of greenish blotches, which is characteristic of the Bath whites and easily identifies it from other pierids.

Sexes can be differentiated by markings on the forewing. The male is differentiated from the female by the markings on the upperside of the forewing. The apex of the forewing is black with white spots and lines. There is a black spot at the end of the cell. In the case of the female, there is an additional discal spot in 1b. The female also has an obscure row of terminal and marginal spots on the upper hindwing.

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - PROVENCE ORANGE TIP BUTTERFLY (Anthocharis euphenoides)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/94212-Anthocharis-euphenoides

Anthocharis euphenoides, the Provence orange tip, is a species of butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Iberian Peninsula (missing in the southwest and northeast), in the south of France (from the eastern Pyrenees to the Alpes-Maritimes) and in Italy in the Abruzzo. There are a few records from Switzerland (Southern Ticino). Its caterpillars use Biscutella as their food source.

A. euphenoides is distinguished in both sexes only by the colour and markings of the underside of the hindwing. In the females the colour of the apical area of the upperside of forewing is very variable, for there occur also specimens with rather large reddish yellow patch. — ab. lecithosa Tur., hitherto only found in South France, has no orange patch in the male, but, like the female of this form, a sulphur-yellow apical spot. — Larva greenish, with yellow and black dorsal markings , white lateral stripes and large black dots, head green; in autumn on Biscutella species; it is a so-called cannibal-caterpillar. Pupa light brown, also green, very strongly incurved (Spuler)

24-4-2023 PLA DE CORRALS, VALENCIA - COMMON CHAFFINCH (FEMALE) (Fringilla coelebs)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10070-Fringilla-coelebs

23-4-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MOORISH GECKO (Tarentola mauritanica)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/33602-Tarentola-mauritanica

23-4-2023 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - COMMON SHELDUCK (FEMALE) (Tadorna tadorna)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/7067-Tadorna-tadorna

Distinctive, large, rather gooselike duck of coastal wetlands, tidal mudflats, and nearby grassy fields. Striking plumage often looks simply black-and-white; at close range, head is deep glossy green, broad breast band dark rusty. Male has raised knob at base of red bill; juvenile duller overall, with whitish face and eyering. Less numerous and more local inland at lakes and along rivers. Often seen walking and grazing, at times in flocks.