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A bright orange Araschnia levana bathing in the spring sun
The Map Butterfly (Araschnia levana) is one of those small spring butterflies that emerge near the end of april and throughout may. While the red and black colouring on the upperside of the wings slightly resemble that of the Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) or Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album), it sports an underside unlike any other. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Araschnia levana, Butterflies, denmark, diphenism, invertebrate, Species, The Map
Every so often we enter a clouded yellow year. In this respect 2009 turned out to be wonderfully clouded, what delight! The Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) is a vibrant yellow and accomplished migratory butterfly. It is one of the most widespread butterflies in Europe and it is quite common in the northern parts of Africa through southern and eastern parts of Europe. Being a very able flier it can migrate thousands of kilometers in summertime, so it can be found in the more northern parts of Europe also, in scarce numbers. In good years it has been seen as far north as the northern Scotland and the Faroe Islands. Usually extremely rare in Denmark, some years not present at all, a small invasion hit us this summer, though it was nothing compared to tales of yonder where huge saffron yellow swarms blocked the sun from the sky or covered cliffs:
“While sitting on a cliff near Marazion in Cornwall, he perceived out at sea a yellow patch which, as it came nearer was seen to be a swarm og Clouded Yellows making for the land, flying low over the water and rising and falling over the crest of each wave, The cliffs were soon covered with them, and they stayed in the neighbourhood for several weeks.” - from Vere Temple
I was lucky myself to find a few fields of Lucerne with visiting Clouded Yellows. The individual above was photographed on a 70 ha field, energetically and determined cruising just above the flowers, dropping down here and there to lay a few eggs.
In their all year homes the Clouded Yellow can be found in all sorts of habitats, the most decisive factor seems to be Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Butterflies, denmark, photo thread, Species
So we set out on a roadtrip. Biologists on the hunt.
First stop Kalundborg!
Just off the ferry we arrived at our first planned stop. On Røsnæs is the one of two last known populations of Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper (P. armoricanus) still found in Denmark. The second population is found only 20 kms away. Røsnæs is one of the driest and sunniest corners of Denmark, receiving on average 520mm of rain each year and about 100 hours of sunshine more than the national average. The area has been protected since 1924. The site we visited at Røsnæs is a small strip of steep commons leaning down towards the bay. The vegetation is patchy, dominantly low grassy growth with bare patches and small bushes in between. A strict management practice of rotational grazing in small-sized quadrants seems to be having a positive effect on the flora and the populations of Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper (P. armoricanus).
Some of the flowering plants that the larvae feed on were present in plenty: Rock Rose (Helianthemum nummularium ), and Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans).
After arriving at the spot, we searched for 20 minutes before we found the first individual. After that we saw and followed several individuals. Each of us tagging along “our own” butterfly. It was sunny and warm and the butterflies were actively foraging. Flying from flower to flower only halting short periods of time to feed before taking of in search of the next flower. It became quite a test, keeping up with them and getting the gear ready, finding focus and exposing the photo all in the short time they rested on a flower, before they were off again.
Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus)
Tags: Butterflies, denmark, photo thread, trip
The gallery at http://www.nbell.dk/2009/ began as part of a competition between 2 friends and myself. We were having a race to see as many species of butterflies and dragonflies as possible during a single season. A by-product of that first season (2008) was a whole lot of photographs of a lot of different species. This spring we decided to try and put some use to all our photographs. We decided we could try and create a identification key for the danish species of butterflies and dragonflies. While the final goal is a polyclave identification key using our photographic material, theres a few big hurdles to pass first.
Note the presence of one crossvein only, in the cubital field of the hindwing. This is characteristic of Cordulia aenea. In Denmark, C. aenea could only be mistaken with species of Somatochlora, which instead have two crossveins.
We want the key to be a tool people can use when they come home with a lot of fritillary sp.’s and darter sp.’s on their Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Butterflies, denmark, Dragonfly