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Four départements comprise the Auvergne namely Allier, Puy de Dôme, Cantal and Haute Loire.
Nice wooded valley below the town. Sixty species in the first two weeks of August, including:
| Species: | Scientific: | First sighting: | Last sighting: |
| Swallowtail | Papilio machaon | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Scarce swallowtail | Iphiclides podalirius | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Large white | Pieris brassicae | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Small white | Artogeia rapae | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Green-veined white | Artogeia napi | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Pale clouded yellow | Colias hyale | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Clouded yellow | Colias crocea | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Brimstone | Gonepteryx rhamni | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Wood white | Leptidea sinapis | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Brown hairstreak | Thecla betulae | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Purple hairstreak | Quercusia quercus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Ilex hairstreak | Satyrium ilicis | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Small copper | Lycaena phlaeas | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Sooty copper | Lycaena tityrus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Long-tailed blue | Lampides boeticus | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Short-tailed blue | Everes argiades | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Small blue | Cupido minimus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Holly blue | Celastrina argiolus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Brown argus | Aricia agestis | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Mazarine blue | Cyaniris semiargus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Common blue | Polyommatus icarus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Southern white admiral | Limentis reducta | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Peacock | Inachis io | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Red admiral | Vanessa atalanta | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Painted lady | Vanessa cardui | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Small tortoiseshell | Aglais urticae | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Comma | Polygonia c-album | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Map | Araschnia levana | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Silver washed fritillary | Argynnis paphia | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Dark-green fritillary | Argynnis aglaja | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| High brown fritillary | Argynnis adippe | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Queen of spain fritillary | Issoria lathonia | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Marbled fritillary | Brenthis daphne | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Small pearl-bordered fritillary | Clossiana selene | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Weaver's fritillary | Clossiana dia | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Glanville fritillary | Melitaea cinxia | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Knapweed fritillary | Melitaea phoebe | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Great banded grayling | Kanetisa circe | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Scotch argus | Erebia aethiops | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Meadow brown | Maniola jurtina | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Ringlet | Aphantopus hyperantus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Gatekeeper | Pyronia tithonus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Small heath | Coenonympha pamphilus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Speckled wood | Pararge aegeria | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Wall | Lasiommata megera | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Large wall brown | Lasiommata maera | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Mallow skipper | Carcharodus alcae | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Dingy skipper | Erynnis tages | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Lulworth skipper | Thymelicus acteon | 09-Aug | 09-Aug |
| Essex skipper | Thymelicus lineola | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Small skipper | Thymelicus sylvestris | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
| Large skipper | Ochlodes venatus | 01-Aug | 01-Aug |
At 1200m a potential good spot, quite heavily farmed though. A quick look round gave:
| Species: | Scientific: | First sighting: | Last sighting: |
| Large white | Pieris brassicae | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Silver washed fritillary | Argynnis paphia | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Dark-green fritillary | Argynnis aglaja | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| High brown fritillary | Argynnis adippe | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Queen of spain fritillary | Issoria lathonia | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Small pearl-bordered fritillary | Clossiana selene | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Arran brown | Erebia ligea | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Scotch argus | Erebia aethiops | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Large wall brown | Lasiommata maera | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
| Silver-spotted skipper | Hesperia comma | 29-Jul | 29-Jul |
Situated on the road from *** to *** in the Valee de Rentieres this is a potentially great site. Great sooty satyr were flying in August. Apollo and Chequered blue are also present on the site. Access is difficult due to vegetation and crags (and permission should be sought at the Maison des Landes just up the road?)
Large area, grassland, rough hilly mountains to 1250m, forest and peat bogs.
Interesting species include. Marsh fritillary, Alcon blue and Cranberry fritillary.
Sagnes de las Godivelle
A small reserve near to the village of Godivelle. One notable highlight is the Violet copper.
Puy de Dôme
Mountain range up to 1465m altitude. Many butterflies including Clouded apollo and Apollo.
© All pictures in these pages copyright to Simon Coombes. Permission must be sought and obtained for any use. |