Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthamelii)
A stunning butterfly, it was long considered a subspecies of the Scarce Swallowtail (I. podalirius) but it is now accepted as a standalone species.
Photographed in the French Pyrénées.
Postcard from the field, from leader Paul in the Italian Alps:
Our latest Italian butterfly tour is under way and off to a flying start, with lovely views of newly-split species Italian Scarce Fritillary an early highlight.
Drew Cooper
Here's a video of the same individual butterfly
Reverdin's Blue. One of the many highlights on Day 3 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social holiday to the Italian Alps. We're up to 93 species already!
One of the highlights of Day 2 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social holiday to the Italian Alps was this Italian Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas italica). Now classed as a separate species from the Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) seen across the rest of Europe.
A few stolen moments off this week at home in #Shetland and a chance to make my annual pilgrimage to Unst where, on the Keen of Hamar's serpentine debris, there were jewels to be found - one of the best years I've know for endemic Edmonston's Chickweed.
#WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
Waking up everyday to this flowery paradise is just amazing. It’s so hard to believe that so many people think that short, constantly mown grass is so great…🥹😍🌱
Postcard from the field from tour leader David Moore in Serbia:
We're ecstatic today after enjoying superlative views of heavyweight European butterfly rarity, False Comma. Some 100 species seen after just 2 days here - and this one in particular, this one's special.
@europebutterfly.bsky.social
Second full day of the @mariposanature.bsky.social Serbia tour. I'm not usually superstitious but I refused to say 'False Comma Tour' in case I jinxed it! After cool cloudy conditions yesterday, today dawned hot & sunny, even so it was hours of sweat & fears before all came good....and relax!😅
Did u know? Planting Alder Buckthorn has enabled me to support the whole metamorphic cycle of the Brimstone butterfly. The larvae are fussier eaters than adults,so if you find out what they feed on, you'll be duly rewarded. Some pics from my B.B's metamorphic lifecycle - eggs, larvae, adult. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐛🦋
Mariposa Nature Tours
Mariposa Nature Tours
Paul Selby
Paul Selby
Paul Selby
Andrew Lipczyński
Jon Dunn
Joshua Styles
Cath Hodsman
One of the highlights of Day 2 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social holiday to the Italian Alps was this Italian Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas italica). Now classed as a separate species from the Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna) seen across the rest of Europe.
