On Saturday I returned from a fantastic one week intensive butterfly
trip to Corfu with 3 butterfly enthusiasts. It was superbly organised by Dr Dan,
and my other companions were Sarah and Richard.
I spent my first day back hunting unsuccessfully for the
Sussex Large Tortoiseshell (for the 9th time – it was much easier in
Corfu!)
These are some pics from our first afternoon in Corfu at John &
Lynne’s wonderful villa which was our home for 3 days. It is a fabulous home which
they designed and built and has a garden packed with wonderful flowers and insect
friendly plants. There were orchids and flowers in a nearby olive grove. The view to the sea was astounding. Swallows were everywhere.
Although we knew each other before the trip, the design of
the villa with communal kitchen/living area enabled us to gel as a group.
The first photo I took was a close-up of a Swallowtail (P. machaon).
After that it just got better and better.
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| Blue-throated Keeled lizard, Dalmatian Algyroides |
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| Brown Argus, Aricia agestis |
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| Brown Argus |
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| Hairy Garlic, Allium subhirsutum |
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| Foxglove Tree, Paulownia tomentosa |
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| Humming-bird Hawk-moth, Macroglossum |
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| a view from the villa |
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| olive grove |
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| sea view from the villa |
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| close-up from above pic |
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| steep driveway from villa |
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| Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis |
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| Rockrose, Cistus species |
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| Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris |
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| Swallowtail, Papilio machaon |
"There are 37 recognized subspecies, that include
P. m. machaon (Central Europe)
P. m. mauretanica Verity, 1905 (North Africa)"
I'm reluctant to say which subspecies the Corfu P.m. belongs to without further authoritative references.
in answer to your onion question it's probably Rosy Garlic - Allium roseum which is found all over the med.
ReplyDeletethanks Jillian, I appreciate your suggestion. On researching this I came across Allium subhirsutum which seems a match. What do you think?
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