So, I’ve set out the moth trap on the balcony a couple of nights so far in 2023 … zero, zilch, no luck. As I stated in a previous post, the street lighting has been changed to LED … great for the environment when it concerns energy usage but poor when it comes to light polution. Unfortunately, I’ve not had to time to set the trap in a friend’s garden, so the best thing I can do, for the moment, is to write up on some interesting species I’ve managed to see.
However, if all goes well I will set up the trap this evening at a friend’s house and then this weekend I will do it again in Salinas de Pisuerga, Palencia, where another friend lives. I’ve identified a number of species (moths, butterflies and dragonflies) I’d like to see this year, which includes Valeria jaspidea, and put all related data into an Excel sheet. Below is a screenshot of the moth section to give you an indication of what I’ve done. Will add to it as I come across other interesting species.
Fig. 1 – Overview of moth species in the Cantabrian mountains that I’d like to see over 2023.
Valeria jaspidea
Valeria jaspidea falls under the Noctuidae family of moths and is quite similar to Valeria oleagina ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775). I cannot find the paper that details the difference and if it is widely accepted or not, but Lepiforum (see links below) has them as different, so I’ll keep it at that too. Apparently,Valeria jaspidea occurs in the western part of southern Europe, whereas Valeria oleagina in the eastern part. I also cannot find a map of where the split would be, and if they overlap.
(Ugh … getting used to using this tool again and lost half of the post in trying to update it … oops) The moth can be found throughout the Iberian peninsula, but it is rare. To be honest, with the continual growth of eucalyptus plantations in Cantabria (which dry out suitable habitats) this species looks to need to be ready for a struggle to continue surviving in the region. Also, with the changes in landscape management (farming techniques) this will only add to the struggle they already face.
The caterpillars of Valeria jaspidea feed on Prunus spinosa (blackthorn) and also Crataegus sp. (hawthorns). The moths fly from March to May and can often be found at rest at the bottoms of walls and stones. They have these stunning streaks of green that make them look like a moss that might grow on a blackthorn.
Fig. 2 – Valeria jaspidea, 19.iv.16 – Casar de Periedo (Cabezón de la Sal), Cantabria, 30TVN09.
Further Reading
I have written a blog post about the moth resource books I use. It will be published on Friday (30.iii.23) after which you can find it here(will add link).
This is a link to a great site called Pyrgus.de that I reference a lot. Excellent information and photos. He hasn’t updated or added Valeria jaspidea yet (not sure why) but the info can be found here under Valeria oleagina.
No moth reference list is complete without a link to Lepiforum, an incredibly in-depth site. Here is a link to the moth’s page.
All sightings in my region of Spain as recorded through Proyecto Lepides.
I actually wrote a blog about walking the transect when I saw this species, see here.
Hymenoptera (or wasps, bees, and ants as some might call them) can be really difficult to identify. Not only due to their small size but also due to the similarities between the species. Bumblebees (which fall under bees) are no different. Add to that fact that documentation of bumblebee species in Spain, and as always in this area of Spain, is spotty at best. As well as the fact that bumblebee species look differently here, as they do in other parts of Europe (differences in band colouration can be striking due to the multitude of subspecies present). Ugh, why did I start looking into this group of insects then if they only bring headache when trying to identify them? Long story for another day, but this site is named after a species of bumblebee (Bombus cullumanus) …
Bombus sylvarum (female) on Mentha sp. (a mint), 24.vii.2016 – Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria.
Shrill Carder Bee
So its English name comes down to the high-pitched sound it makes while flying around flowers, it really is distinctive. The species usually flies a bit later in the year/season than other bumblebees, I usually see them in August to October, but have seen them flying earlier. They are quite common around the village where I live, as they need “rough” farmland with lots of different types of flowers … therefore, due to agricultural changes, across most of Europe Bombus sylvarum is struggling a bit. In Spain, the occur in the northern stretch along the Cantabrian Mountains and in some higher altitude areas along the east coast and towards Madrid. Apart from near my village I’ve also seen them along the coast (Cuchía), in the mountains (Alto Campoo ski resort) and in Palencia.
There aren’t any big differences between males and females. The most distinguishing characteristic is the black band between where the wings attach to the thorax. However, as previously stated, depending on where you live IDing the species can be difficult. For example, it gets more complicated here at higher altitudes, as there are other bumblebee species that might look similar. At lower altitudes it is reasonably certain, especially if you can hear the bee flying around too.
Bombus sylvarum (female) on Trifolium sp. (a clover), 10.v.2020 – Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria.
Very Rare Form
Sometimes you can spot an unusual variation of a species (called forma – abbreviated as f.), which will have a specific name. Some variations can be fairly common, as they might occur due to climactic variation, but others can be very rare. I’ve been lucky to spot a Bombus sylvarum f. nigrescens. Initially I had no idea what it was because the coloration did not fit with anything that I might find in this area. The only reason I found out the species was because I got into contact with Leopoldo Castro, the bumblebee expert in Spain, and he was able to ID it for me, not 100% certain but highly probable. In the picture below you can see the thin light-yellowish bands that it has (running along the edges of the tergites) within the mass of black hairs on the abdomen, with a bit more around the connection between thorax and abdomen.
Bombus sylvarum (male) on Centaurea sp. (a knapweed), 10.ix.2016 – Mazcuerras, Cantabria.
Further Reading
The IUCN Red List page – general information about the status of the species in Europe.
Atlas Hymenoptera – the best site on information and distribution of Hymenoptera species in Europe. Run by Pierre Rasmont, Belgian expert.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust – page on the trust’s site dedicated to the species in the United Kingdom, where it is a rare bee.
Steven Falk’s Flickr page – he wrote the field guide for bees in the UK. Awesome photos, great resource.
Observation.org – citizen science website that would benefit from your contributions. You can find all my observations there.
So, for this, and the following Book Club posts, I think I’ll just concentrate on the books I use to help me ID species or general reference books I use. I won’t go into any scientific papers, or PDF documents, as that would make each post massive. The idea here is to get an idea of the books you might like to look into getting if you are interested. I’ll make sure to start from a general overview to a more Spain/regional specific base. Also, this list will now be used as a reference when I post on butterflies, saves me having to list the books each time around.
Oh, and I’ve got books like Nabokov’s Blues, the ones by Dave Goulson, and many more but I’ll discuss those seperatly … this really is only reference books.
General
Haahtela, Tari, Kimmo Saarinen, Pekka Ojalainen & Hannu Aarnio – Butterflies of Britain and Europe: A photographic Guide – 2011 – A&C Black – 384 pp. – Pretty decent, more modern than the two listed here. I had this an the Tolman as my only books for ages. I liked the idea of having one illustrated and one photo book (this one also has living butterflies). This was an accidental buy, but it turned out to be worth it (it also was not expensive at all). There is a new edition out (2019 – Bloomsbury Wildlife – great publisher) and it has been translated in French and English. Unless Tolman comes with a new edition soon, this might be a better buy (it is less than 10 GBP on Amazon), as the photos really are good.
Lafranchis, Tristan – Butterflies of Europe – 2004 – Diatheo – 352 pp. – This book has an ID key in it that can be really helpful if you like to use those … based on photos of living buterflies … good companion to Tolman. There’s a French and Dutch version of this book. The Dutch version was published by the KNNV in 2009 and is expensive (currently one for sale for €75), as it is now out of print.
Tolman, Tom & Richard Lewington (illus.) – Collins Butterfly Guide – 2009 – William Collins Books – 384 pp. – Pretty much the reference book on everything to do with butterflies in Europe. A must have, stunning illustrations, maps, excellent info on each species … needs an update though (due to taxon changes etc.). I cannot think of a better book to own if you are interested in butterflies. You can also get it in Spanish and, probably, other languages.
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Spain
Redondo, Víctor, Javier Gastón & Juan Carlos Vicente – Las Mariposas de España Peninsular: Manual ilustrado de la especies diurnas y nocturnas – 3rd edition – 2019 – Prames – 464 pp. – In Spanish and it includes moths (not micro moths). It is okay, not really worth it for the butterflies though. I got it for the moths. The pictures are of collection specimens so it looks really unnatural and the colours are not very vivid. No maps, very basic info on distribution. Basically a book for those who have already read a lot and just want to have something new for their butterfly library. Still in print and will probably remain so with a new edition coming out every once in a while.
There’s a better book on Spain, but I only have it as a PDF … written by E. García-Barros, and others, in 2004. It is good, though is only based around distribution, has no photos or illustrations, because it is based on scientific papers you can really pinpoint species in specific regions. You can probably find this on the internet. It has both Spanish and English text! I used it a lot in the early days.
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Specific Regions in the Cantabrian Mountains (my area of interest)
Sánchez, Juan Manuel, Rafael Obregón & Tomás Sanz – Mariposas diurnas de Somiedo – Asturias: Pequeña guia para senderistas – 2018 – Ayuntamiento de Somiedo – 96 pp. Small, informative, handy, and in Spanish … so, great if you are going to visit this stunning national park (I haven’t yet but one of the authors was associated with Proyecto Lepides so I got this book). Maybe you can pick up a copy on a visit to the park, it cost me €5, so why not. There’s a new version (2022) out (without Tomás Sanz) that is double the page number. No idea what the difference is, but I’m sure it is pretty decent
Sanz Román, Pablo & Juan Manuel Marcos Gómez – Mariposas y Ecosistemas Cántabros – 2004 – Cantabria Tradicional S.L. – 196 pp. – I’ve not had this book too long, but I’ve read parts of it many times. It is in Spanish, has photos and maps of butterfly (and some moth) species in Cantabria. A good place to start to get an indication where you might find certain species of butterfly in this ecologically diverse province … but websites are better these days because they are more current. There is also a whole section on larval host plants (LHP). Mistakes do occur in this book, the names are really far behind regarding taxon (Lafranchis, from the same year, is way more up to date), so my copy is full of pencil corrections. It is like you’re reading a book from the 1980s. You can get by without this book when you visit Cantabria, for the completionist, as it shows its age and needs a refresh/update for sure. Long since out of print (the publisher went bankrupt years ago) and hard to get.
Verhulst, Georges, Joseph Verhulst & Hugo Mortera – Mariposas dirunas del Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa – 2005 – Organismo Autónomo Parqeus Naturales Ministerio de Medio Ambiente – 184 pp. – Book in Spanish written by two Belgian brothers and an expert on butterflies in Asturias (I have Mortera’s book on butterflies in Asturias in PDF format – also excellent and available on the internet). A bit old, but quite cool and quirky (has common names in 4 different languages), as it also includes some pictures of caterpillars and pupae. The photos are okay, both of living and collection specimens. There are some mistakes but those aren’t really an issue. You’ll need to buy this online, with the best/cheapest option being Oryx in Barcelona (how I got it). Take care because this book can be very expeinsive on other sites, and it probably isn’t worth that unless you are a completionist.
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Comments
The region-specific books can be really hard to get a hold of. If you want to pick them up for a vacation to Spain it is best to do so well in advance. Most of them are out of print. For example, the Lafranchis I’ve seen with quite a high price-tag (e.g. there’s currently one for sale for €40 online – I got mine for €10 – but there’s one on Amazon for GBP 155!). If you want to get a good overview of butterflies in a specific region in Spain then the García-Barros PDF is an excellent place to start and get a checklist going. You’ll need something like Tolman for IDing the butterflies you see though (even though it desperatly needs a refresh). Also, I have a lot of PDFs for other regions outside of the Cantabrian Mountain range, I’m sure you can find those PDFs on the internet.
Do take care when picking up any odd butterfly book. I once got one as a present that had a ton of mistakes and wasn’t really helpful in any way (terrible photos), so just gave it away again (should have had the foresight to keep it and give it a negative review here – cannot remember the author or title). Also, many of the multi-insect guides are not that great, just get one that is specific to butterflies. Tolman is not expensive.
I’m always looking for new books, and on my travels to regions in Spain I do keep an eye open for region-specific books. There are quite a few. This means that I’ll try and keep this list evergreen …
Final Note
My list of non-reference works includes: Nabokov’s Blues, The Butterfly Isles (already discussed), Fine Lines, In Pursuit of Butterflies, The Jungle Garden, Rainbow Dust, The Collector, A Buzz in the Meadow (also discussed), and some that I am probably forgetting.
The year was 2015 and it was one of those chance meetings. Something flew by, landed on a desiccated bracken leaf for a few seconds and then flew off. In those split seconds I was able to wrestle with a camera I was not familiar with (my partner’s) aim it where I thought that something had landed and take one, single, photo. I didn’t really know how to use the camera, so it was not until I’d uploaded the picture to my computer that I could see I’d taken a reasonable picture of a dragonfly … back in 2015 I was new to all of this so had no idea which species it might be and with no books on the subject searched internet … with little success. I posted the picture to Observation.org and then went to the Dutch forum the site has to ask is anyone might know what I’d taken a picture of. They quickly helped me out there, as it was quite easy to identify … if you know what to look for … but it still did not dawn on me just what it meant.
Oxygastra curtisii (male), 27.vi,15 – Río Saja, Cantabria.
I had slowly been scouring the internet on PDFs, articles, etc. for species on insect and animal that were present in either Cantabria or the general region of northern Spain. I’d also check the IUCN Red List to see if I could find anything there.
A little over a year later, during a visit to one of my favourite parks to spot wildlife, I was walking back to the car with my partner and our kids, and something zipped by us and landed in front of us on the path. I took my (new) camera and we all stood very still while I took a few pictures, as we inched closer it flew off. Again, I had a hunch it was something interesting … back at home I saw that it was a female of the same species I’d seen a year earlier …
Orange-spotted Emerald
The family affiliation of Oxygastra curtisii (Dale, 1834) – Orange-Spotted Emerald in English – is uncertain but it does fall under Anisoptera, which is a suborder of Odonata that includes all true dragonflies (as opposed to damselflies – Zygoptera). So, it is a bit of a unique species, although it does look a bit like Somatochlora (Striped Emeralds) and Cordulia (Downy Emeralds) – both of which do not really occur here on the Iberian Peninsula. On top of that, the Orange-Spotted Emerald is only found in south-western Europe and small populations in Morocco (Northern Africa).
Oxygastra curtisii (female), 10.vii,16 – Cuchía, Cantabria.
It needs slow moving rivers to breed in, which does fit this area of Cantabria where the rivers have calmed down a bit on their way to the Cantabrian Sea after having rushed down the mountains nearby. But the waters need to be really, really clean for it to have a chance to survive and until the early 2000s the factories were not always focused on dumping clean water into the rivers here. This has changed and improvements have been monitored by local organisations here, so who knows, we might start seeing an increase in sightings. It still remains incredibly rare here in Cantabria and I have tried to spot another, but to no avail so far …
However, the IUCN Red List classifies the species as Near Threatened NT and that assessment is probably right on the money. It is also listed as a protected species in Spain.
Our Article
So, the observations were so interesting we, when I was still part of Proyecto Lepides (organisation now defunct), decided to send a scientific article to a reputable publication here in Spain, the Boletin Sociedad de Entomologia de Aragon (or SEA). Jorge Garzón wrote it in Spanish after I sent him an English version of the events. He dressed the text up a bit so that it was all a bit more official, as I’d never done something like it before. I’m still super proud of it and I see it as part of the foundation to help justify all the time I’ve spent out in nature, observing, having fun … there’s nothing like a little recognition for your work … now if I could only publish more articles … hmm … (stay tuned).
Further Reading
Klass-Douwe B. Dijkstra, Asmus Schröter & Richard Lweington (illus.). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain & Europe – 2nd edition. 2020. Bloomsbury, 336 pp. – Pretty much the go-to guide at the moment. Pretty stunning book.
Christophe Brochard, Dick Groenendijk, Ewoud van der Ploeg, Tim Termaat. Fotogids van Larvenhuidjes van Libellen – 2e druk. 2016. KNNV Uitgeverij. 320 pp. – In Dutch but great pictures of the skins (exuvie) Odonata leave behind.
Christophe Brochard, Ewoud van der Ploeg. Fotogids Larven van Libellen. 2014. KNNV Uitgeverij. 236 pp. – Same as the above, also in Dutch, but then of living larva of Odonata. Again, stunning photos.
My SEA article that I wrote together with Jorge Garzón.
A list of sightings in our area on our (now defunct) project page of Proyecto Lepides on Observation.org.
So, there I was, back in late 2017 with ambition to get back on track and thinking I’d have plenty of time over the winter to write some pieces for this blog … and here we are, over 5 years later with not a single (published) post to show for it.
Will it be any different this time around? Who knows, but I’m going to give it another go. A lot has happened, not only in my life, but in general. There are some excellent new methods to get content out to those interested, such as Substack, and there is even development around AI writing with tools like ChatGPT. However, the goal is to restart the blog simple … not fill my plate up with too much, I can add more content as it comes. This means I’ll stick with the following:
Bee-News – all things related to Hymenoptera, so also wasps and ants. Posts in this category will probably be fairly regular, maybe once a month or so.
Book Club – books on nature or related topics. Infrequent, but I’ve read some great books since the last one and so will be a bit more common at first. One of the books I’m considering is The Collector by John Fowles. I have half a draft ready but was never sure it fit … we’ll see.
Butterfly Bulletin – the name describes it fairly well. Again, expect to see regular posts on this.
Flower Fields Forever – plants of all types really. This category will be irregular because I’m least knowledgeable about this topic, though I do have some interesting orchids etc. I want to highlight.
Odonata Update – all things dragonfly and damselfly. A regular that covers an area I’m really interested in.
RAm Report – reptiles and amphibians will be covered here. I do not expect to be posting on a regular basis in this category, but I do have some great observations I want to highlight.
Will I be leaving anything behind? Well, yes:
Proyecto Lepides – I was part of an organisation here that tracked butterfly, moth, dragonfly, and damselfly populations in Cantabria but unfortunately it has ceased to exist. It was actually one of the reasons I stopped posting here. A job, family & young kids, and then learning something new in such an in-depth manner (reading, taking time to walk set routes or investigate new areas, sifting and IDing 1000s of photos, carefully recording each observation etc. etc. etc.) was exhausting and did not always align well. I did not want to disappoint the organisation, to which I feel I was one of the key contributors … I am still 4th on the ranking list for number of species of butterflies (92, #1 has 129) seen, 1st for moths (264, #2 has 221) and 1st for dragonflies (34, #2 has 32) all within our defined area (https://proyectolepides.observation.org/) even after little activity on my part over the past 2 years … so I did as much as I could until the founder wrapped it up. I am happy to have been a part of it all and if there is ever another similar organisation in the area I’ll be one of the first to join. Thanks to all who I met through this organisation … I’ve kept in touch with a couple, more on that in the future.
Is there anything I might consider adding going forward? (i.e., stuff to add to my plate.)
Routes/Excursions – this would basically take over the stuff covered under Proyecto Lepides where I give an overview of any (day) trips I make in the area. I usually set out to go see butterflies or dragonflies in certain locations so this would be an account of those occasions. We’ll see, these take a ton of time and effort to write up. Maybe only the memorable ones with the others being a footnote in a post in one of the 6 topics above.
Moth Matters – I own a moth trap these days and a frequent activity I’ve done over the past few years is just to put it out on our balcony and see what comes by. I’ve also IDed a few other locations where I’ve placed the trap with great results. One of the problems has been that in 2022 they replaced the street lighting from old bulbs to LED lights (great for energy efficiency but …) and man are those new LED lights ever bright! Since they’ve been in place then number of moths on our balcony has been next to none, so I’ve had to go out now, where in the past a trap on the balcony was so little effort. I’ll probably start with this topic once I get trapping again …
Various other topics – then there are Diptera (flies – Horde of the Flies), Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets – ??) and Coleoptera (beetles – Beetlemania) that all really deserve their own topic … and I’ve seen some great species that would make excellent subjects for a post. We’ll see …
Where do we go from here?
I plan to post once a week (oh boy, hopefully I don’t shoot myself in the foot here) on a Tuesday with the first post being in March (on the 7th), which gives me time to finalise some of the draft posts I have planned. My goal is to keep the posts short and to the point. I’ll continue to include some links at the bottom of the post, and I might add a heading for Random Comments at the end of posts so I can jot down some things I’ve been busy with outside of stuff to do with nature etc.
Random Comment of the Post – We now drive a fully electric vehicle (BEV) … I have to say, life-changing really. Hopefully you have the chance/opportunity to switch too, it’s great.
Introduction
With one day of good weather suddenly upon me I decided to head out. There was the occasional gust of wind, but the sun was fully out and the temperature was around 15C. The forecast said rainy periods over the days after. So … out I went …
Recorrido A – 25.04.16 – 30TVN09, Casar de Periedo There was not much going on at the start of the walk until I noticed a little white butterfly flittering along the edge of the field and road. It was clear that it was a Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) but it was acting strange and it was in a spot where I’d not seen many before … quite far from any woods! 🙂 Anyway, I looked closely and it seemed to be laying eggs individually in a plant that hung over a small dirt edge along the dirt track. In my quest to see if I can find out which Wood White it is I took some pictures, but, as I’m very poor with plants I’ve not made much headway in that department. Furthermore, the plant does not look like any that are listed in the books I have … Will go into it in a post specific on Wood Whites in the (hopefully near) future …
Oak Eggar (caterpillar) in Cantabria, Spain. 25.04.16
As I was marveling at this funny lone white, I looked down and at my feet was a hairy caterpillar … Lasiocampa quercus (Oak Egger), a moth … have read that you shouldn’t really handle hairy caterpillars due to skin irritation, so lifted the stick onto the dirt track to get a better angle for a picture. Noticed that it seemed to just have shed its skin, had not seen this before.
On I went … in the first really interesting field that I like to take a closer look in I spotted quite a number of Small Heaths (Coenonympha pamphilus), they were starting to come out in large numbers! I also spotted a dark little thing … this time I was able to get it on camera in a decent manner … a Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages). Later in the walk I’d spot a second. This was starting well, it isn’t every day I see a Dingy Skipper. I thought I saw another close by, but the Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphica), a day-flying moth, that it turned out to be was a bit of a let-down. This species and other day-flying moths will become a feature in the months to come. An inexperienced eye will think “hey butterfly” and that’s what I did … but through endless frustration last year I was slowly learning. However, now for Proyecto Lepides we also record moths we see … so, hey, this is an easy one (i.e. don’t have to go out at night to see it)!
Dingy Skipper in Cantabria, Spain. 25.04.16
For most of the rest of the walk there was more standard stuff, always good to see, but after a while those species become a touch boring.
Sooty Copper (male) in Cantabria, Spain. 25.04.16
I did see my first Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus) of the year, a male. I quite like this butterfly, and it is reasonably common around here during the summer months. The females have a spectacular mix of orange and brown. The males are more “drab” dark blackish brown (sooty is a fitting name for the males). But when they thus fly you see flashed from their white underside wings … so for males you get a neat black/white strobe-action going. They aren’t the greatest of flyers, so do not go far if you disturb them and hence are easy to follow. One of my goals this year is to see as many Copper species as possible. There are 6 species in this area of Spain, but three are rare and one of those is really extremely rare … and apparently the most common I cannot seem to come across here (just once last year)!
Orange-tip (male) in Cantabria, Spain. 25.04.16
Towards the end of my walk I saw another year-first … an Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines). Again apparently a common sort that I do not come across much here … I’d actually seen a female earlier in April during a stroll, and those are difficult to spot … but males should be easy with their flashy orange wing-tips. Usually, I just seen them flying up and down a path, relentlessly, never seeming to stop for a drink of nectar. I was thus very happy to see one drinking away, and quickly took a picture before it zipped off again.
During the walk I’d also seen three butterflies I had not been able to ID, one was probably a moth and the other two were darkish-looking in flight (one a Small Tortoiseshell?!). Still again, even though I was a touch disappointed with my daily haul, I had some hope for if the weather should turn good for a more extended period.
(I wrote the above but did not finish the post … it is now just into May and we’ve got a couple of excellent days of sun ahead … will go out this Wednesday for my monthly walk, it is looking to be amazing weather … keeping my fingers crossed for some real dazzle!)
Jan. to April Summary
The month of April is almost at a close and it has been a mixed bag … both of butterflies, and of hopes and expectations … for the year.
With regards to 2015, I’m at the exact same numbers, for the year till the end of April I had seen 19 species, of which I’d seen 17 in April. I should also note that of the April species, 3 (of the 17) were not in 30TVN09 (I was not a volunteer yet either), and for the year that number was at 4 (of the 19).
The species I’d seen in 2015 but not so far this year are; Carcharodus alceae, Papilio machaon*, Pieris brassicae, Callophrys rubi*, Cupido argriades, Vanessa cardui* and Aglais urticae. The ones with a * are non-30TVN09.
I realise that some of these are pure luck due to the migratory nature of the species (Pm, Vc, and Au) and the others will surely be seen in May – the one exception to all being Callophyrs rubi, I cannot understand why I have not seen this species in 30TVN09 yet. It is apparently very common but I’ve only seen this butterfly once – however, I cannot but feel slight disappointment with how the sightings have gone this year. Especially seeing as the first months (Jan. and Feb.) looked to be building up quite well. I thought that with a bit more knowledge and experience I’d be able to ID more butterflies, but that has not been the case. Most I’ve seen I’ve been able to ID this year, but I’ve not seen many new species. I assume this has to do with:
– Habitat.
– Weather.
– Luck.
And it is with the last two categories that frustration comes in …
But it is thus also with a bit of luck that I’ve seen two new excellent species so far this year … Boloria dia and the Pyrgus spec. … both not the most common of butterflies in these parts.
I guess what I should take from this is that I should focus more on the positives of 2016 so far … there’s still a lot to go in the year and May looks to be exciting with a friend coming over and the possibility to explore some new areas!
Summary – Lasiocampa quercus (a moth – caterpillar). – Leptidea sinapis – a few, around 5-8.
– Pararge aegeria – reasonable amount 10-15. – Gonepteryx rhamni – a small number, around 5 in total.
– Coenonympha pamphilus – around 20.
– Colias croceus – quite a few, maybe 10.
– Erynnis tages – 2 in total.
– Euclidia glyphica (a moth) – 2 in total.
– Pieris napi.
– Lycaena tityrus – first of the year, 2 in total.
– Anthocharis cardamines – first of the year.
Species year total — 19 (2015 – 45). 16 species seen in April. Notes:
– Only species of butterflies are counted, I really have no knowledge of moths, but they are part of Proyecto Lepides goals and results so, I mention them in write-ups.
Further Reading
– My sightings for the walk on Observation.org.
– Overview of what has been happening with Proyecto Lepides and butterfly sightings all over Spain. Note the lack of “action” in the north.
Introduction
Volunteer work is fun and especially when you can go out an learn new things from experts! I’d seen various notices from an organisation during 2015 that looked interesting to me. The idea was to go out and monitor amphibians and their habitat. The organisation is called Red Cambera and, convieniently, is based in a village near where I live. Many of their activities are centered around the Saja-Besaya Natural Park. Now, I’m not actually sure if it is a provincial park, it isn’t one on national level, but I do not know how Spain orgainises the various levels (e.g. national, provincial, regional etc.). Anyway, it is the largest park here in Cantabria.
Saja-Besaya (named after two rivers, the Saja River runs through the village I live) is a park but not an untouchable piece of wilderness. One of the main things that is done in the park is maintaining livestock (mostly horses and cattle). These are led into the hills in spring and brought back down in autumn. Basically the livestock can roam freely. When driving around you often come across cows in the middle of the road for example. This means that in a sense the landscape is man-managed, but it has been so for hundreds of years.
There is ample space for fauna with wolves and bears being the those at the top of the food chain. However, there are all sorts of small mammals, from river otters to stoats etc. The bird life is also quite diverse, key species being various woodpeckers, vultures, ravens etc.
Saja-Besaya Natural Park – 16.04.16 So, Red Cambera has various activities, one of which is monitoring amphibians in the park. The organisation has installed ramps (in & out) into various drinking troughs throughout the park (for the free roaming livestock). Over the past 3-4 years they have been monitoring amphibian activity in these troughs in spring and autumn. They visit the troughs numerous times during each season to see how the situation is developing.
The day that I went was the second time out this spring, 2 weeks earlier I’d been kept at home due to ill kids. There will be two more dates, one late May and one early June, hopefully I can make one of the two.
We met up in the morning in the main village in the region (Cabezón de la Sal) and split in to two groups. Each would go by car and take a different route towards a ermita (little church on top of one of the hills) where we would have lunch.
The group I was split into was to take the high route. There were three volunteers (me included) and two people from the organisation piled into a little 4WD. This type of car was needed, as we’d mostly be driving on rugged dirt tracks (permit required to drive them). We headed off in the rain …
Up we went into the hills, we had to go all the way up to the Puerto de Palombera (1200m – the highest point in the park is around 2000m) … we turned onto the first dirt track just after the pass with full expectations. We’d passed plenty of drinking troughs already, but none had been adjusted by the organisation. After 3-4 turns up we ran into a big bank of snow, completely blocking the track. There was no way around it and no possibility of removing the snow (would cause the snow from higher up to tumble down). We had to turn around and go a different route, but it meant we’d have to skip 3 (of the 6 for our route) troughs! The other route had 9 in total. Two weeks prior there had been even more snow, but there was hope that it would all be gone.
So back down the hills we went, this time turning in to Barcena Mayor. Just past the village on a dirt track was our first trough … there were plenty of tadpoles swimming about and it soon became clear that they were two distinct species: Rana temporaria (Common Frog) and Alytes obstetricans (Midwife Toad). After a little searching we saw 3 Lissotriton helveticus (Palmate Newt), 2 males and one female. Not bad for our first trough (still in the rain).
Our second and third trough were less exciting, well, there were only Rana temporaria tadpoles in the second and we couldn’t spot anything in the third. However, the third was near the ermita and there were little streams coming out of the ground there and they were filled to the brim with more Common Frog tadpoles.
The other group had come up through Ucieda and they’d also spotted an Ichthyosaura alpestris (Alpine Newt). This is the route we’d take back, but we didn’t stop to have a look at those newts, it is close by my house so maybe I’ll go by myself in the near future.
Overall the result had been good for the time of year (and water temperatures). The organisation was pleased with what we had seen.
The sun came out as we started munching away at some sandwiches provided by the oraganisation. It had been a great morning, I had learnt a lot and seen a new species (Rana temporaria).
I’d love to go again and see how the locations develop. Joining some of their other projects may be a tad difficult at the moment (due to the kids), but we’ll see …
As this is a fairly new project for the organisation they’re also seeing how they can do more things with amphibians in the future. One option would be for volunteers to go by set points on a regular basis and monitor developments there … hmm, similar to Projecto Lepides and I’d sure be up for it (there’s a drinking trough here in Casar filled with amphibians in the spring).
Furthermore, they are working on a book on amphibians for Cantabria … cannot wait till that is complete and to buy it!
Further Reading – Red Cambera web site (in Spanish). – A couple of links to information about the park, here and here (both in Spanish). – My sightings for the trip Observation.org.
Introduction
The end of March gave hope for a good April and also April 2015 had been quite excellent with 17 species seen (although 2 of those were not in the area here) even though I was just starting out in the world of butterflies. A year on I’m a bit wiser, but with still so much ahead of me to learn …
Anyway, back to the start of this month. Work was a bit on the slow side, so in that sense I had time off … but illness hit the kids hard so they were home and needed close attention. The month started of with reasonable weather but a little gusty in the wind department … as the month went on the rains came when I had little to do and the sun was out when work was staring at me in the face … very frustrating! The 2016 butterfly-bug was starting to hit hard.
I was able to do a few truncated rounds of Recorrido A in the first days of April … pushing the least ill kid around in the pram so he could get some rest outside of the stuffy house where his brother was busy vomiting every time a spoon came close to his mouth … anyway, the usual suspects were out: Pieris napi, Pararge aegeria, Aglias io, Colias croceus to name but a few.
It was on the 1st of April when totally unexpectedly two new species popped infront of my camera lens … Boloria dia (Violet/Weavers Fritillary) and Erynnis tages (Dingy Skipper) … both within a couple of meters from each other. I spotted the one when I’d spotted the other. I was drawn to the fritillary due to colouring and patterns on the wings and only got a couple of poor shots off of the skipper, luckily one was good enough for a positive ID. I got quite a few decent photos of the fritillary and knew I needed some underside pictures for a proper ID, with with some patience I managed to get (though poor lighting! still just enough for an ID). This fritillary is not very common and a great find. Where these the butterflies I’d seen a few days earlier in the same spot but without being able to find out what they were? It sure seemed that way and I was well pleased even though some initial complaints had started coming from the pram telling me it was time to head home.
Both were a first for me and thus also a first for the area/transect, even though I was not officially walking the transect.
Violet (Weavers) Fritillary in Cantabria, Spain. 01.04.16
Violet (Weavers) Fritillary in Cantabria, Spain. 01.04.16
On the 3rd of April I again went for a walk (with same kid) but this time around grandma’s house (very nearby here and also in 30TVN09). The wind was blowing so hard I almost decided not to go out, but the sun was out in full force, so who knew …
I went to a favourite spot, a sheltered field on the side of a sunny hill. A little dirt trail runs along the bottom of the hill accompanied by a shrub-lined brook. The wind was whipping high around the trees with the occasional gust through my hair … but I slowly walked the track with the sun as my guide … and there it was, amongst many other larger whites a relatively smaller white flying just that little bit different. The first Leptidea sinapis (Wood White) of the year. Only male genital analysis will tell us if it is this species or in fact Real’s Wood White that flies here, so until that day I’ll keep it to the more common of the two species.
Comma in Cantabria, Spain. 03.04.16
As the track started to climb I decided to turn around and while walking back my next new species … Polygonia c-album (Comma Butterfly). For me this has always been an elusive species so I was again elated to see it. It sat on a sand bank and flew around a bit, happy for me to take pictures. Again a first for the year.
After this came two frustrating weeks of bad weather or no time. In the weekend I marked a day that looked to be good for the following week …
Recorrido A – 19.04.16 – 30TVN09, Casar de Periedo … but it ended up being poor … continually overcast (after a sunny morning – no time, argh!) and with strong gusts of wind. The temperature was the only thing going for the day, just above 20C, when I headed out.
Even with the poor weather I saw the first butterflies instantly, flying up and down along the scrub. Dutifully checking the first few I came across it was clear they were probably all Pieris napi (Green-veined White). This white butterfly will be so plentiful in the coming months that it will drive me crazy.
It was a while before I saw something else fly by, this time it was a disturbed Pararge aegeria (Speckled Wood), again common stuff, though again this time around not as plentiful as in earlier months of this year.
A little later I spotted the first Leptidea sinapis (Wood White) for the transect this year, bouncing around in a field before it got swept away by a strong gust of wind.
I was feeling a bit hopeless, the poor weather was getting me down. Even a decent number of Colias croceus (15-20) (Clouded Yellow) zipping around just above the various Plantago spec. flowers at great speeds (wind no deterring factor for those excellent fliers) could not cheer me up. With a sigh I looked down and scratched my beard, what to do? It was staring right back at me … A colourful caterpillar, a blazing warning signal amidst the green grasses. This caterpillar (Zygaena spec.) looked about ready to start building a case. In a month+ the field I was standing at would be filled with the day flying moths that this caterpillar would turn in to. I’d have to wait until then to find out the exact species of vivid black and red moth that it will become. If I saw one I might see other caterpillars out …
Within 30cm was the next, this time a rich green with some light striping. I’d need to search internet for this difficult ID (turned out to be probably be the common Maniola jurtina – Meadow Brown – that will also be ever-present in a month or two).
Valeria jaspidea in Cantabria, Spain. 19.04.16
Humming-bird Hawk Moth in Cantabria, Spain. 19.04.16
I walked on, keeping my eyes peeled to the ground. This helped me spot a beautiful moth, Valeria jaspidea, on a small concrete post in the field. Incredibly subtly coloured, what a beauty. A bit further I spotted more Zygaena spec. caterpillars (3) and the weird but wonderful Macroglossum stellatarum (Humming-bird Hawk Moth) hovering and taking nectar from a knapweed.
Not at all bad after all … and then came the highlight of the day … I’d stopped at a favourite spot of mine to look at 4-5 different species of bumblebee when I spotted an incredibly small whitish fluffy thing zip by, at a crazy speed. By pure luck I had been able to track it with sight, I quickly whipped up my binoculars to get a closer look … what was that!? I took some quick pictures, as it was clear I’d never seen something of the sort before. Slowly I circled around inching forward and getting a better look from the other side. I almost lost sight of it as I made sure I had proper footing.
A Pyrgus spec., a tiny butterfly that at times resembles a moth. I was able to get quite close, but it refused to open its wings (or move for that matter). Without further scientific examination it is impossible to say whether it was a Pyrgus onopordi (Rosy Grizzled Skipper) or a Pyrgus armoricanus (Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper). The second is slightly more probable, but either way, both are rare in Spain and especially here.
Due to the stubbornness to not open its wings I decided to call it a day and left. I do not see many butterflies of this family here so I was keen to get home and see what I’d seen (at that time I didn’t know an exact determination was impossible).
Skipper in Cantabria, Spain. 19.04.16
Summary – Pieris napi.
– Pararge aegeria.
– Leptidea sinapis.
– Maniola jurtina (caterpillar).
– Zygaena spec. (a moth – caterpillar). – Colias croceus.
– Valeria jaspidea (a moth) – a first for me.
– Celastrina argiolus.
– Macroglossum stellatarum (a moth) – first of the year.
– Pyrgus spec. – first on all accounts; me, year and transect!
Species year total — 17 (2015 – 45). 11 species over March 2016. Notes:
– Not counting caterpillar species, as there is uncertainty around the ID and did not add those to the 2015 results. There will be plenty of Maniola jurtina imagos in a short while.
– Pyrgus spec. has been counted as one species.
– Only species of butterflies are counted, I really have no knowledge of moths, but they are part of Proyecto Lepides goals and results so … I will mention them in write-ups.
Further Reading
– My sightings (butterflies only) for the month of April so far on Observation.org.
Introduction
The 26th had been spectacular weather, all be it a bit windy, with temperatures in the mid 20s. Unfortunately, there were visitors over and other plans had been made. The next day however, I was able to walk the outer track of the route when all of us went on an afternoon stroll. The visitors were interested in the volunteer work I do for Proyecto Lepides and wanted to get a feel of the transect. This meant that I would point out butterflies etc. as we walked the route and we did not do this too intensively by walking into fields etc. We saw quite a lot of butterflies out and we even saw another first-for-the-year species.
A couple of days later I did another “lite” walk of the transect, not walking the two interior dirt tracks. Again I saw a new species for the year.
I will give a very brief account below and the summary will only mention the species seen, most were seen over both days. No mention of numbers as such, as I was not really counting. Both walks were interesting, as they came so soon after a warm period and I was hoping to see the first real signs of a change in the air …
Recorrido A – 27 & 29 03.16 – 30TVN09, Casar de Periedo The 27th was interesting, as it came after the first really warm day of the year. We went on an afternoon walk and it was around 21C but there was quite a breeze out and it was fresh in the shade.
The first butterfly we saw was instantly a new species for the year, Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus). Not the most common of butterflies here but I did see it on numerous occasions last year. It was sitting on a fallen leaf and did a quick flutter, flashing its crisp blue wings. Normally, I spot these zipping along at great speeds a metre or two above the ground.
During the rest of the walk there was an abundance of the usual suspects. It was quite an impressive walk for the guests due to the numbers of butterflies seen.
Holly Blue in Cantabria, Spain. 27.03.16
The 29th was similar weather, sunny, with some clouds and the temperature was around 17C with not much wind this time around. The time between the walks was filled with rain. I was able to go a bit more at my own pace this time around and headed out into a field or two, where I spotted the first Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) of the year. Last year I never saw them in great numbers, but it was a butterfly that was constantly present during most of the year.
The other butterflies seen were again the standard ones and in decent numbers.
Small Heath in Cantabria, Spain. 29.03.16
Highlight of the walk was watching a Stoat (Mustela erminea) criss-cross the road a couple of minutes carrying a bird in its mouth. Difficult to get good pictures, but was able to get a couple from very close by, as it was curious to see what I was doing and came quite close to have a look (safely sheltered in the bramble).
Stoat in Cantabria, Spain. 29.03.16
Stoat in Cantabria, Spain. 29.03.16
During the walk I’d not been able to identify a couple of butterflies, where this normally irritates me a bit it gave me hope for the coming period. I suspected I saw a skipper and another blue … and maybe an early fritillary, but I couldn’t be sure. A couple of days later it would become clear that my hunch was in the right direction …
Introduction
I was going to write about one of my favourite bumblebees next, but due to the season (early spring) I thought I’d write about a species that starts showing up at this time of year and is actually not all that common in this area (Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria, Spain).
Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum belongs to the subgenus Pyrobombus. The queens are relatively small and one of the earliest to appear each year (as the name might suggest). Queens pop out with regards to colours as the orangey tail makes them look a bit darker and more drab when compared to the whitish tailed bumblebees that are also out. The yellow bands are a crisper colour yellow.
Early Bumblebee (queen) on an unknown plant in Cantabria, Spain.
Males are fuzzy balls of yellow, with yellow hairs on their heads and with an orangey tail.
I have yet to see a worker.
Early Bumblebee (male) on a dead nettle (Lamium sp.) in Cantabria, Spain.
The subspecies B. p. santonae can be found on the Iberian peninsula, but I have no idea what the differences are, but it is the only subspecies found here. If I compare my pictures with those found in the Falk link (see below) then here the bees have more extensive yellow bands.
There is conflicting information on this subspecies and I do not really know which is correct. Some sources state that this is a higher altitude species (500m+ above sea level), but I’m at around 100m. However, I do not know which other species it could be (see Complicating Factors below). Furthermore, there are very few pictures on the internet.
The one thing that could help me out it a book called Fauna iberíca. Vol. 23. Hymenpotera: Apoidea 1 by Ortíz-Sánchez and Ornosa, but it is costly and in Spanish.
Sigh, bees are not that well detailed in Spain as butterflies are and information is difficult to obtain. Once I find out more I’ll post a follow-up article, as this one’s pretty poor with regards to actual information! haha
Complicating Factors
So, not only is it difficult to find out what B. p. santonae actually looks like, but apparently the subspecies of the Red-tailed Bumblebee (B. lapidarius), which is called B. l. decipiens, has the same colouration in queens! However, they are also normally found at higher altitudes (apparently) here and queens emerge much later (May). Furthermore, they are bigger, but this is something you can only really pick up once you have gained quite some experience out in the field. After only one summer season, I am still far from that required level.
So, I guess the bumblebees I’m seeing are Bombus pratorum santonae, but at the moment I cannot be 100% certain. All I know is that the UK situation is a lot simpler.
Further Reading
– Here is a link to Steven Falk’s Flickr page, lots of good pictures and basic info. He has a good book out on Bees in GB & Ireland!
– A link to P. Rasmont’s page with a distribution map and some other basic info.
– A link to the Natural History Museum page that gives an overview of the colouration of the Early Bumblebee.
– A link to the IUCN page. Great site.
– The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a great organisation, especially if you live in the UK, they’ve got a helpful site for the beginner and also a place to upload photos and ID other people’s photos. I’m a member even though I live abroad.
– There’s a cool app for the iPad/iPhone by NatureGuides with great drawings. I’ve got the Pro version which has been a good resource for info.
– Dave Goulson’s A Sting in the Tail is a fun read about the world of bumblebees.
– My sightings to date on Observation.org of this species in Cantabria.
Searching for Cullum's Bee 