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Andalucía
This is a group of eight provinces in the South of Spain, see below for details. I have visited Andalucía a couple of times at Easter over the last few years, mainly in the provinces of Malaga, Granada and Almería. There is a large range of Butterfly species in this region of Spain due to the wide range of habitat and climatic conditions. There are mountainous areas across the region climbing to 3400m in the Sierra Nevada (Granada province). There are also areas which are practically desert which attract a range of chiefly North African species.
| Granada is a fantastic province of Spain. The Sierra Nevada
mountains are unique in this part of Europe, holding snow late into
Spring. Because of its isolation from other large mountain ranges many
unique forms and species live here. This is true of a number of isolated
ranges in central and southern Spain, and makes it a very special place to
visit. Spring in the southern mountains, near Juviles saw Lorquin's blue,
Cupido
lorquinii, Provençal fritillary,
Mellicta deione, two similar blues namely, False baton blue,
Pseudophilotes abencerragus and Panoptes blue,
Pseudophilotes
panoptes.
North of the range saw poor weather at Pinos Genil, still Morocco orange tip, Anthocharis belia and Provence hairstreak, Tomares ballus flew in the brief sunny spells. On the Granada coast between Nerja and Almuñécar was a nice piece of semi desert surrounded by scrub. Green-striped white, Euchloe belemia was common together with two swallowtails. (Species list) |
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| Species: | Scientific: | First sighting: | Last sighting: |
| Southern scarce swallowtail | Iphiclides feisthamelii | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Spanish festoon | Zerynthia rumina | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Large white | Pieris brassicae | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Small white | Artogeia rapae | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Dappled white | Euchloe crameri | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Moroccan orange tip | Anthocharis belia | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Clouded yellow | Colias crocea | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Green hairstreak | Callophrys rubi | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Small copper | Lycaena phlaeas | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Lorquin's blue | Cupido lorquinii | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Black-eyed blue | Glaucopsyche melanops | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Panoptes blue | Pseudophilotes panoptes | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| False baton blue | Pseudophilotes abencerragus | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Common blue | Polyommatus icarus | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Painted lady | Vanessa cardui | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Small tortoiseshell | Aglais urticae | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Queen of spain fritillary | Issoria lathonia | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Provencal fritillary | Mellicta deione | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Wall | Lasiommata megera | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Mallow skipper | Carcharodus alcae | 12-Apr | 12-Apr |
| Species: | Scientific: | First sighting: | Last sighting: |
| Large white | Pieris brassicae | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Small white | Artogeia rapae | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Green-striped white | Euchloe belemia | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Moroccan orange tip | Anthocharis belia | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Clouded yellow | Colias crocea | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Brimstone | Gonepteryx rhamni | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Small copper | Lycaena phlaeas | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Lang's short-tailed blue | Leptotes pirithous | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Black-eyed blue | Glaucopsyche melanops | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Red admiral | Vanessa atalanta | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Painted lady | Vanessa cardui | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Spanish gatekeeper | Pyronia bathseba | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Wall | Lasiommata megera | 06-Apr | 06-Apr |
| Species: | Scientific: | First sighting: | Last sighting: |
| Small white | Artogeia rapae | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Bath white | Pontia daplidice | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Moroccan orange tip | Anthocharis belia | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Clouded yellow | Colias crocea | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Provence hairstreak | Tomares ballus | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Common blue | Polyommatus icarus | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Small heath | Coenonympha pamphilus | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Speckled wood | Pararge aegeria | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
| Wall | Lasiommata megera | 08-Apr | 08-Apr |
© All pictures in these pages copyright to Simon Coombes. Permission must be sought and obtained for any use. |
