Last Thursday I went for one of my usual walks up the road behind our chalet. Almost all of the fields in our valley have been cut now, so the butterflies are having to find their nectar in the flowers which grow by the sides of the road. There’s also a huge trench to the side of our road, which was created to catch any falling rocks. The wild flowers have re-grown and it has proved to be a fabulous place to capture some photographs.
I missed a few, including some sort of Clouded Yellow and a ‘large orange one’, which flew away as I approached, but I was pleased to get sufficient images from above and below (where needed) to identify these 12. As an indication of how many butterflies are still around (and how lucky I am) all of these pictures were taken in just 1 hour and 12 minutes.
Alittlebitoutoffocus 
Excellent selection Mike you have a great spot there.
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Thanks Brian. I’m very, very lucky to have these on my doorstep. We have 5 days of glorious sunshine forecast, (and I’m desperate for a long walk), so I hope to find something different to post in the next few days. 🤞🤞
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These are all so beautiful, Mike!
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Thank you Sandra. They are certainly very varied and amazing creatures. 😊
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I found one yesterday that looked wounded. 😦
Part of its wing was missing.
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Yes, I often see them with bits missing from the edges of their wings. It doesn’t usually stop them flying though. I tend not to take, or post, pictures of them as it does look rather sad.
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Hello Mike.
Stunning pics! It was a great joy to see all of them.
Have a great day!
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Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! Have a great day too!
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I love the Black-Veined White. So delicate. What amazing diversity you have there!
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Yes, the wings are almost transparent! And again, yes, we have a fair few butterflies over here. My book on Swiss butterflies tells me there are 216 species (which I think includes 14 of those little red and black Zygaenidae. I also counted almost 40 ‘blues’, which I think compares to only about 4 or 5 in the UK? The abundance and variety of alpine flowers helps of course!
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40 Blues? was pleased to see three different species of blue in one day here recently! But then scarcely makes them all the more special!
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I counted 39 in my Swiss book and indeed, I just checked the associated online website, which also lists 39. See here for the ‘azures’ and other Distribution charts: https://www.lepido.ch/cartes-de-distribution . I also just had a quick look at my Collins Butterfly Guide and it seems to show at least 8 blues in the UK. (The maps are quite small so there could be a few more sneaking in to the south coast). So you did very well to spot 3 in one day!
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Love the Black-Veined White. So delicate. What amazing diversity you have there!
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Still struggling sometimes with WordPress. Excuse the double comment.
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No worries – I’m sure I’ve done that a few times too – when the laptop has apparently frozen. Sometimes WP spots a duplicate, but not always obviously. Thanks for your comment(s) – much appreciated.
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OH MY goodness!!!! what a privilege!!!!! thanks for sharing!!!!
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Thank you for enjoying them so much!! 😊
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Incredible!
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Yes, they are beautiful little creatures. 🙂
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Pingback: Even more butterflies… | Alittlebitoutoffocus
What a stunning biodiversity on such a small stretch of road. Amazing!
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Yes, I was surprised myself! I expected to see a few of the common ones, but when I looked at the photos, I realised that they were all different.
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