Provence butterflies

During the middle of August 1999 we spent four or five days in the Luberon region of Provence in the south of France. This was the end of a fantastic trip including a week in the Alps in which we managed to see well over 100 species or Butterfly. In addition Mark Ogden (fm.ogden@tiscali.co.uk) sent in a list for a visit to the Mount Ventoux area, slightly further north.

Being August, and very hot, the most interesting species tended to be from the Satyridae (Browns) family. These seem to be able to deal well with the heat, seldom opening their wings and often angling their wings to leave no shadow. I guess brown colouration is good camouflage when the vegetation is rather dried out and brown.

	Cleopatra - Gonepteryx rhamni		Baton blue - Pseudophilotes baton
	Autumn ringlet - Erebia neoridas		Striped grayling - Pseudotergumia fidia
	Tree grayling - Neohipparchia statilinus		Great banded grayling - Kanetisa circe
	False grayling - Arethusana arethusa		Dusky heath - Coenonympha dorus
		Southern gatekeeper - Pyronia cecilia

Species list for Luberon

Species list for Mount Ventoux area

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