Forest of Tressé, Bretagne, France

[wollastoni]

I have decided to explore this year a small forest near my home in Brittany.

The end of February was very HOT in W. Europe, around 18°C during 4 days (instead of 6°C normally).
So it is already spring here, the trees are blossoming and the first butterflies are appearing. Not many, but it is always a pleasure.

Gonepteryx rhamni :




Polygonia c-album:


Vanessa atalanta : 



I also saw Nymphalis polychloros and Aglais io but they refused to be pictured.   

[nomad]

Nice photos Its been hot here in the UK for Feb, even the migrant Vanessa cardui has turned up on the south coast bought up from Spain on the warm winds. This is early and exceptional. Even a Nymphalis polychloros a species that became extinct here, has turned up on Portland and has been, as you know, well photographed. Perhaps a visitor from France and not a release at this time of year. Do you have Nymphalis polychloros in Brittney. I know our friend Michel mygos has it in his garden.   The weather is back to normal today, light rain and much colder, which is set to continue into March

[wollastoni]

Yes, we have Nymphalis polychloros in Brittany.
Not common but easy to see in the woods in March/April.

I saw one in that forest but did not achieve to picture it.

[nomad]

Feb 28, 2019 18:34:29 GMT wollastoni said:

Yes, we have Nymphalis polychloros in Brittany.
Not common but easy to see in the woods in March/April.

I saw one in that forest but did not achieve to picture it.

The new brood will be on the Wing in July and August. 

[trehopr1]

Wow, you fella's sure are lucky having such fair weather this early ! Here in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. that miserable polar vortex just keeps on creeping on down from the Arctic giving us bone chilling cold and sub-zero temps with the wind chill factored in. Spring seems so far away....

By the way Olivier, fantastic close-ups of that G.rhamni.... Absolutely love that butterfly.

[nomad]

Yes, we were lucky, but back to normal now, in the UK at least, overcast and chilly, but nothing like your weather. An old saying we have here " Never Cast a Clout before May is Out" .... Meaning don't put away your winter clothes until then. We had snow in March and early April here last year, hopefully that's not going to be the case this year. Cold winter-spring used to mean = Warm Summer, and what a hot one we had last year. Warm spring = well I hope not.

[nomad]

Those lucky fellows in France can spend a quiet moment with a Large tortoiseshell = Nymphalis polychloros. However, here when one turned up recently in Tout Quarry , a nature reserve on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, on the south coast of England it made the local TV news. At one stage there were two dozen people there, hoping to photograph it. We have the paparazzi who go chasing after stars of screen and music, now I would like to introduce a new phase for Britain ' The butterfly papillonazzi.   The butterfly they were all hoping to see can be seen in the video posted on the web. 

[bobw]

Mar 4, 2019 12:35:03 GMT skandinavisk said:

Is the "zz" in that word correct or did you have a finger spasm when you typed that? 

Jan

I think you'll find that Peter intended a play on the word "paparazzi" so the "zz" is intended.

[Adam Cotton]

And I suspect that Jan was playing on a 4 letter word with only 1 z in it.

Adam.

[Paul K]

Both words are correct.