Category Archives: June 2013
An orgy of orchids
Following the surprisingly successful butterfly day on Saturday, when despite unseasonably low temperatures and intermittent rain, I managed to add a further three species to my 2013 butterfly list, bringing the total up to 43, yesterday and today could be described as nothing less than a total washout.
Never one to easily give up on the possibility of finding butterflies, I drove back from Belgium via one of my very favourite butterfly areas, in the Eifel region of Germany, to the south-west of Cologne. This plateau harbours a rich mix of chalk grassland, damp river valleys and extensive forests, and it is the extraordinary juniper-covered hillsides around the village of Alendorf that I find particularly attractive. Wild juniper bushes have become rare in recent decades (in fact, in the Netherlands the old juniper bushes are failing to produce any young saplings), but here in the Eifel there are extensive stands of these bushes, and in the shelter they provide, a wide range of chalky grassland plants flourish.
These slopes would, given more favourable conditions, have yielded up several extra species for my butterfly list, but with threatening low cloud, drizzle and incredibly low temperatures, there was no chance whatsoever. I often pride myself on being able to find at least one butterfly roosting either on a grass stem or on a flowerhead, but today even that was out of the question.
Amid this disappointment, there was one redeeming factor: the Eifel provides an almost unrivalled habitat for orchids, and within less than one hour, I had found six species. The most prolific was the Fragrant Orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea, which was growing in profusion on all the natural grassland areas I visited. I even managed to locate one example of the rare white form among the much more frequent purple flower spikes.
Fragrant Orchids on the chalky slopes
A rare white individual of the Fragrant Orchid
The second commonest species was the Common Twayblade, Neottia ovata, with its two very prominent rounded leaves at the base of the stem.
The Common Twayblade, with its two prominent rounded leaves near the base
Far more striking than the Twayblade was another species of orchid growing with it, the Fly Orchid, Ophrys insectifera. The flowers of this species engage in a form of sexual deception, both visually resembling a fly and releasing a scent that mimics that released by certain female insects. When male insects pick up this scent, they “pseudo-copulate” with the flower, during which act the pollen of the orchid is deposited on the insect, which then flies on to attempt to mate with another flower, unwittingly passing on the pollen as it does so. Apparently they give up after several attempts, but by then the pollinating has already been completed.
A Fly Orchid awaiting an unsuspecting randy fly
The next species I located was the Greater Butterfly Orchid, Platanthera chlorantha, three examples of which were growing together between the junipers. Separating this from the Lesser Butterfly Orchid, P. bifolia, is difficult, and I cannot guarantee that my identification is correct.
A Butterfly Orchid, most probably Greater
Is this a Greater or a Lesser Butterfly Orchid?
Nearby were a few Spotted Orchids, Dactylorhiza maculata, which I was a little surprised to see growing here on this chalky grassland as I tend to associate them more with acid bogs, but there can be little doubt as to their identity.
The Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza maculata
All of the orchids so far recorded were open country species, but it should not be forgotten that some species inhabit dark, shady areas, and just before leaving, I noticed a number of whitish flower spikes in a ticket near the road, a small colony of another species of orchid, the White Helleborine, Cephalanthera damasonium.
The ghostly flowers of the White Helleborine
In the absence of butterflies, thank God for Orchids!
The juniper-covered slopes surrounding the village of Alendorf
Butterflies of the Bistort
Today’s target species were two veritable specialists, the Violet Copper, Lycaena helle, and the Bog Fritillary, Proclossiana eunomia. The larvae of both species feed (at least in this area) exclusively on the leaves of Bistort, Polygonum bistorta, a plant that grows in profusion in damp meadows in the region where I am currently located, in the Hautes Fagnes/Hohes Venn (or High Fens), in north-eastern Belgium. This is a wild area of peat bogs, extensive forests and open tussocky grassland, peaking at the highest point in the Benelux countries, at 694 metres. Just to the south is an extensive network of small streams, and along their valleys is where the most extensive areas of the beautiful pale pinkish blooms of Bistort can be found, along with their attendant butterflies.
A valley filled with Bistort, larval foodplant of the Bog Fritillary and the Violet Copper
Despite far-from-ideal weather conditions, it was not long before I was able to locate a single Bog Fritillary, trying to warm itself in the weak sunshine. The Bog Fritillary is superficially similar to other small fritillaries, including the Small Pearl-bordered, of which I later saw a few as well, but the black markings on the upperside are narrower, and there is a very faint suffusion of black scales across the entire upper surface, giving it a slightly dusty appearance. In addition, this species is less hyper-active than other similar fritillaries, which tend to race about, settling only rarely, whereas this species is much less flighty, and therefore easier to approach.
A male Bog Fritillary basking in the weak sunshine
After the short sunny spell that allowed me to see the Bog Fritillary, dark clouds began to move across the sun, but I just had time to locate one example of the Bog Copper, Lycaena helle, hunkering down among the vegetation, out of the strong wind that was whistling along the valley floor, stirring up the Bistort plants and making photography a challenge, to say the least.
A rather tired-looking Violet Copper
Unlike the Bog Fritillary, the Violet Copper emerges earlier in the year, and I was not sure that I would find one even disregarding the poor weather conditions, and I was pleased to do so, especially as the sun promptly disappeared and the rain began to fall, rendering butterfly observation out of the question, at least for a while.
Luckily, however, the wind was sufficiently strong as to blow the storm quickly through, and from then on the day turned into one of “pepper and salt”, with sunny spells interspersed with dark periods of drizzly rain, and always with that strong wind whisking across the valley floors.
It was not long before the sun reappeared, and with it several more Bog Fritillaries. While the upperside may be hard to distinguish from other small fritillaries, if one gets the chance to examine the underside, any lingering doubts are soon dispelled; the pattern on the underside of the hindwing is totally distinctive, with no silver spots and a row of small rings parallel with the outer margins; the Dutch name of this species, Ringoogparelmoervlinder, means ring-eyed mother-of-pearl butterfly, a highly appropriate name, except that unlike most other fritillaries, this species does not have the amazing mother-of-pearl-like silver spots so characteristic of the group.
A Bog Fritillary perched on a Bistort flowerhead, showing its characteristic row of open rings on the underside
From here the trail passed through a stretch of thicker pinewoods, where butterflies were not to be found, but just beyond was a much more open area of Bistort, interspersed with thistles, and some flower-filled fields in which I had high hopes of finding my third target species, the almost unimaginably beautiful Purple-edged Copper, Lycaena hippothoe. The flowerheads and grass were waving about vigorously in the gusting wind, making the search for butterflies even more difficult, but it was not long before I spotted a purplish shape fluttering through the grass stalks, and it turned out to be a newly-emerged, jewel-like male Purple-edged Copper. Photography was far from easy, but I did manage to obtain one passable shot before the butterfly was swept away in the wind and I lost sight of it.
A glowing male Purple-edged Copper
By now the weather was closing in again, and the return walk was marked only by around three handsome Large Skippers, Ochlodes venatus, darting along the verges of the trail through the pinewoods.
A bright, newly-emerged male Large Skipper
Skippers are known in Dutch as Dikkopjes, or fat-heads, due to their broad heads
Shortly before I reached the car, the route took me past a more sheltered, Bistort-filled clearing, where several more Bog Fritillaries were to be found, followed by one very ancient-looking Violet Copper, missing a large section from one of its hindwings, and probably not destined to last many more days.
The sheltered, Bistort-filled clearing
A Bog Fritillary, wings open to catch all the warmth it can obtain from the weak sunshine
The tired-looking Violet Copper, part of its hindwing missing
The Violet Copper, enjoying perhaps the last few days of its short spell as an adult butterfly
Many of the river valleys and Bistort areas here in eastern Belgium have been lost, partly due to agricultural “improvement”, and partly converted into intensively farmed plantations of young spruce trees, mainly for the Christmas tree market. However, in this particular area, strenuous efforts have been made to not only preserve the remaining habitat, but also to extend it. Long may these wonderful areas of marshland, dotted with the pink spikes of the Bistort flowerheads, remain intact with their Fritillaries and Coppers fluttering above them.
The butterfly habitat, resplendent with Bistort and Cranesbill
Butterfly list as of 22nd June: 43 species
Weekend entomologique Franco-Belge – sans Belges!
Please click on the images to view them larger
This last weekend was billed as a Franco-Belgian weekend, an opportunity for the butterfly/dragonfly enthusiasts of the Nord-Pas de Calais region in France and of Wallonie in Belgium to get together and prospect some potential habitats on the French side of the border, as well as to build a cross-border relationship, which as insects do not respect national boundaries would seem useful from a conservation viewpoint. The French had booked accommodation for up to 32 participants – but in the event not one Belgian turned up.
The Saturday was cool and with little real sunshine. I did manage a brief walk in my favourite northern French forest, where there were by now at least 20 Marsh Fritillaries, Euphydryas aurinia, and perhaps 10 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Clossiana selene (neither of these being new species for my annual list). One bonus was a single Large Skipper, Ochlodes venatus, which brought my total to 37 species.
Despite the disappointing lack of Belgian participants, the Sunday excursion started in considerably warmer conditions, and the team set out to explore an area in the French Ardennes, adjacent to the Belgian border, and it was lot long before we spotted our first Chequered Skippers, Carterocephalus palaemon, perched on prominent vantage points, surveying their territories in the forest glades. This area also revealed a single Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, and several rather old-looking Speckled Woods, Pararge aegeria.
French butterfly-watchers prospecting the site – not a Belgian to be seen
Having passed through a stretch of woodland, we reached our goal for the morning’s prospecting: a protected area of raised peat bog, entirely surrounded by large trees, and harbouring a rich and highly vulnerable flora, it in turn hosting some relict populations of insects normally associated with more northerly areas, for example in Scandinavia or Boreal Russia. Our chief target in terms of butterflies was the Cranberry Fritillary, Boloria aquilonaris, which had been recorded here in earlier years, but for which no recent records exist. This fast-flying species is entirely restricted to extremely wet peat bogs in which its foodplant, the Cranberry, Vaccinium sp, grows in long strands across the hummocks of sphagnum moss.
The tiny, elegant flowers of Cranberry growing on the Sphagnum moss
Despite numerous false alarms created by sightings of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, no Cranberry Fritillaries were in evidence. This may have been simply due to the extremely late emergence of several butterfly species this year, caused by the exceptionally long cold spell we had right through the spring, or it may be that this tiny relict population has succumbed since the last recorded sightings. Our French guide was despondent about the encroachment of young trees across the site since his last visit, and was disparaging about the Office National des Forets, who own the reserve, and about the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels Champagne-Ardenne, who are supposedly responsible for its maintenance, and yet they still allow this unique and fragile ecosystem to become overgrown.
The wet, peaty areas so rich in specialised wildlife
Although butterflies were in short supply (we did spot two late male Orange-tips, Anthocharis cardamines, and a couple of Brimstones, Gonepteryx rhamni), we were treated to an emergence of several Keeled Skimmer dragonflies, Orthetrum coerulescens, the males of which had not yet had time to develop their bluish-purple “adult” coloration.
A relatively newly-emerged Keeled Skimmer, showing its characteristic wing posture
Shortly afterwards a single, female Northern Emerald, Somatochlora arctica, was caught and identified in the hand before being placed on a conveniently placed post for the photographers in the group. This dragonfly is also a relic of the last ice age, surviving this far south exclusively in these remote peat bogs that are so threatened.
The Northern Emerald next to its picture in the book
The Northern Emerald, recovering from its identification experience
Face shot of the Northern Emerald. The two yellow patches are diagnostic
After lunch we made our way down a beautiful flowery meadow, which might in normal years have been expected to host numerous butterflies, but the only individual of interest was a male Sooty Copper, Lycaena tityrus, again underlining the extraordinarily late flying season we are currently experiencing. We then forded a small stream, crossing into Belgium as we went, and here we searched a wonderful area full of the pale purple, spiky flower-heads of Bistort, Polygonum bistorta. This plant plays host to two highly specialised butterflies, the Violet Copper, Lycaena helle, and the Bog Fritillary, Proclossiana eunomia. Although both occur widely in the Bistort zones further east in Belgium, it was nonetheless worth looking here at least for the Bog Fritillary, as there were rumours of its presence here, but we were unable to locate it on this occasion.
The group prospecting the Bistort field
Our final destination was another peat bog, this time even more difficult to locate and enter, where again the Cranberry Fritillary was our chief target, but despite intensive searching, no butterflies other than a few Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and a single passing Large White, Pieris brassicae, which brought my list up to 39 species for the year.
This area is also becoming degraded due to the encroachment of young birch trees, but again there appear to be neither the funds nor the will to take the necessary steps to secure the site’s future, and our guides gloomily predicted that by the time they next visit, the open bog areas will have given way to young birch forest, losing in the process their unique flora and fauna. Being a butterfly enthusiast can be depressing at times. Not only does one only have a “window” of perhaps two or three weekends in which to see them, during which one has to be free to look AND the weather needs to be suitable, but the habitats of some species are so fragile and so fragmented that they can easily be lost forever if the sites are not managed in their favour. This is an expensive, labour-intensive task, and the vast majority of people would not see the value of it anyway.
Birches encroaching onto the site
Luckily I was able to lift us out of any gloomy thoughts we may have had, by stooping to pass underneath an electrified barbed wire fence, and my trousers splitting dramatically from my waist to well down my thighs, revealing all to a highly amused audience!
The dramatic split
My intention on the Monday was to scour the forest areas in the southern part of Belgium for the elusive Poplar Admiral, Limenitis populi, which I had once been treated to once, on my birthday in 2011, but the day dawned cloudy and overcast, followed by torrential downpours, rendering any sighting of this splendid butterfly out of the question (a video of this, one of Europe’s largest butterflies, which I made on that day can be seen in the My Nature Films section on the right of this site). Conditions did improve in the late afternoon, allowing for observation of a steady stream of Red Admirals, Vanessa atalanta, as they powered northwards on their migration from Southern Europe and North Africa.
My final butterfly adventure of the weekend took place in the spur of France known as the Botte de Givet, which projects northwards into Belgium along the Meuse. By now it was late afternoon, and while driving northwards on a fast road, I spotted some largish white butterflies with a characteristic sailing flight by the roadside. Luckily there was a convenient parking spot, so I stopped the car and walked back along the road verge, finding to my delight that they were indeed species number 40, the Black-veined White, Aporia crataegi, feeding avidly on the Red Clover flowers close the road. I was busily photographing these butterflies, which hold a certain mystique for British butterfly-watchers as the species became extinct in the U.K. in the 1920s, and indeed is still retreating in North-west Europe, when suddenly a car drew up behind me, and three gendarmes jumped out and proceeded to demand my papers, which luckily were all in order. They asked me what I was doing, to which I replied “Looking for butterflies”, which they were clearly unconvinced by. Later it turned out that they were interested in why I should be brandishing a camera on a hillside overlooking a large nuclear power station – photographing Black-veined Whites sounded a highly suspicious cover for what I must really be doing: spying on France’s nuclear installations!
Black-veined White, photographed near a nuclear plant in France!
Butterfly list as of 17th June 2013: 40 species
