Lampides boeticus in Brittany, NW France

[wollastoni]

I have spent two weeks of great and sunny holidays in Brittany (NW France). As my family lives there, I have been making some butterfly counting in a wood for the MNHN (STERF) since 5 years now.

This year, in a poor August months with very few Nymphalidae (very few Vanessa/Aglais/Polygonia), few Pieridae and few Lycaenidae, I have seen an explosion of the number of Lampides boeticus. This migrant doesn't reach Brittany every year and when it does, you can see one or two specimens during the summer. This year, I have seen about 10 of them everyday.

The very warm July month in Europe must have helped this African species migrate faster up-North.

Did our British members see more of them in the UK this summer ?


picture from Butterfly House

Other migrants like Vanessa cardui and Colias crocea were also easily seen this year in Brittany.

[nomad]

It must have been very nice to have seen a fair number of what we call the Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus. This species has always been a very rare migrant to the U.K and was always considered a great prize if you were lucky enough to have caught one in Britain. Last year for the first time, quite a few turned up on the coast of Kent but then I did not have the time for a visit. This year they are turning up again on the south coast in Kent and Essex and they have also been reported from Portland in Dorset and from Devon. I do hope that they will colonize our Island one day but as yet it may not be warm enough.

I too have seen this butterfly in France this year, on the island of Corsica where they are a resident and I manged to get a couple of shots . At Tattone in Corsica near the railway, I saw quite a few but they would not keep still, they flew at amazing speed.


Lampides boeticus Vizzavona Corsica. 

[Adam Cotton]

We even have Lampides boeticus here in Thailand.

Adam.

[mygos]

Aug 18, 2015 9:31:00 GMT wollastoni said:

I have spent two weeks of great and sunny holidays in Brittany (NW France). As my family lives there, I have been making some butterfly counting in a wood for the MNHN (STERF) since 5 years now.

This year, in a poor August months with very few Nymphalidae (very few Vanessa/Aglais/Polygonia), few Pieridae and few Lycaenidae, I have seen an explosion of the number of Lampides boeticus. This migrant doesn't reach Brittany every year and when it does, you can see one or two specimens during the summer. This year, I have seen about 10 of them everyday.

The very warm July month in Europe must have helped this African species migrate faster up-North.

Did our British members see more of them in the UK this summer ?


picture from Butterfly House

Other migrants like Vanessa cardui and Colias crocea were also easily seen this year in Brittany.


Stunning picture Olivier

A+, Michel