Grecian Coppers, Southern Festoons and Greek Red Damsels

Grecian Copper ♂, Lycaena ottomana

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Corfu Day 3, April 10

We met Peter Sutton at Ermones where we saw the most endangered species of damselfly in the world. The Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) is only known from 10 sites, two of which are in Corfu. From a  bridge we watched a Grass Snake hunt a frog. Dan found a final instar Spotted Fritillary caterpillar, feeding on plantain.

  Peter spotted a Dahl’s Whip Snake in a tree and succeeded in extracting it for us to view, a very attractive, slender snake.

  We then travelled to the Ropa Valley in search of the Grecian Copper.  I immediately found a female Grecian Copper in a field of Asphodel. We spotted a dozen specimens, male and female, by the time we left. We watched a female ovipositing on a dead stalk under a sorrel leaf. Dan found a final instar Spotted Fritillary caterpillar, feeding on plantain.

  We also saw Small Heath, Small Copper, Southern Gatekeeper, Wood White, Holly Blue, white forms of  Southern Festoon, Cleopatra, Scarce Swallowtail, Green Hairstreak, Clouded Yellow, Berger's Clouded Yellow, and Glanville Fritillary. So ended another day in Paradise!

Ermones

Loose-Flowered Orchid, Orchis laxiflora

Loose-Flowered Orchid

Wood White, Leptidea sinapis

ants under mat with queen

Spittlebug, Cercopis sanguinolenta

Cleopatra ♀, Gonepteryx cleopatra

Common Marigold, Calendula officinalis

Egyptian Locust, Anacridium aegyptium

Epirus Water Frog, Pelophylax epeiroticus

Flower beetle, Psilothrix viridicoeruleus

Flower beetle, Psilothrix viridicoeruleus

Salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Cleopatra ♀, Gonepteryx cleopatra

Cleopatra ♀

Cleopatra ♀

a frog hunt by a subspecies of the Grass Snake:

Grass Snake, Natrix natrix persa

Grass Snake hunting Epirus Water Frog, Pelophylax epeiroticus

Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans

Broad-bodied Chaser ♂, Libellula depressa

Caspian Turtle, Mauremys caspica

Caspian Turtle

Caspian Turtle

Epirus Water Frogs, Pelophylax epeiroticus

Epirus Water Frogs

European Pond Tortoise, Emys orbicularis and Caspian Turtles, Mauremys caspic

European Pond Tortoise, Emys orbicularis

European Wasp, Vespula germanica

Greek Red Damsel ♂, Pyrrhosoma elisabethae

Greek Red Damsel ♂ 

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria

Spotted Fritillary larva, Melitaea didyma

Berger's Clouded Yellow ♀, Colias alfacariensis

Clouded Yellows mating, Colias croceus

Cleopatra ♂, Gonepteryx cleopatra

Common Blue ♂, Polyommatus icarus

Dahl's Whip Snake with lizard, Platyceps najadum

Dahl's Whip Snake

 

Desert Cricket, Melanogryllus desertus

Glanville Fritillary, Melitaea cinxia

Grecian Copper egg, Lycaena ottomana

Grecian Copper egg

Grecian Copper egg

Grecian Copper ♀, Lycaena ottomana

Grecian Copper ♂

Grecian Copper ♂

Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi

Hermann's Tortoise, Testudo hermanni

Hermann's Tortoise

unidentified moth

Orange-tip ♀, Anthocharis cardamines

Orange-tips, Anthocharis cardamines

Rope Valley

Scarce Swallowtails, Iphiclides podalirius

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus

Round-leaved Birthwort, Aristolochia rotunda

Southern Festoon eggs, Zerynthia polyxena on Round-leaved Birthwort

Southern Festoon, Zerynthia polyxena

Southern Festoon

white form of Southern Festoon
This reminds me of the white valesina form of the female Silver-washed Fritillary

Tongue Orchid, Serapias lingua

field of White Asphodels, Asphodelus ramosus

White Asphodel