The Irish Naturalist

By Owen Beckett

Month: August 2019

The French Pyrenees – Part 2 – July 2019

August 18, 2019 /

On the third and fourth days of our trip to Gavarnie, we decided to walk up the Val d’Ossoue, a meandering valley which ultimately leads to Vignemale, the highest of the French Pyrenees. Our goal however was not this peak but a picturesque reservoir about 9km along the valley; one which would hopefully be much more achievable! What was interesting about this valley was that despite its close proximity to the Cirque, the scenery and wildlife were rather contrasting.

After stopping in the shop to stock up on food and water we made our way to the foot of the valley on what was looking like a much nicer day. A small meadow near the Gavarnie carpark was alive with butterflies including dozens of Marbled Whites, a few Meadow Browns, Silver-washed Fritillaries, Heath Fritillaries and a few fresh Scarce Coppers. The road led through a small patch of woodland where we saw our first few False Heath Fritillaries of the trip. A couple of damp patches on the road attracted some beautifully-marked Marbled Skippers, as well as more Silver-washed Fritillaries, Chalkhill Blues and Safflower Skippers.

The wooded area soon gave way to more open meadows adjacent to rocky slopes. We were treated to some soaring Lammergeiers and Griffon Vultures  overhead, whilst we heard some calling Marmots further up the hillsides. A Comma was found nectaring by the pathway whilst a rotting bone attracted several Chalkhill Blues as well as an unexpected Amanda’s Blue! Butterflies have a gruesome side too it would seem!

A flowery area beside a small car park had some mudpuddling Spotted Fritillaries, Turquoise Blues and Silver-studded Blues, whilst a rather active Purple-shot Copper of the Iberian race gordius rested only briefly on a flowerhead before zooming away down the valley. It wasn’t long before the first Meadow Fritillary was seen, another target species similar to the Heath Fritillary but with a much less heavily-marked upperside.

With all the butterflies I’ll admit I was a little distracted, but I did manage to spot some Houseleek plants, as well as Round-headed Leek and St. Bruno’s Lily. Past this open area the pathway sticks close to a rock face which continues for a few kilometres. The sun was angled on the rocks which attracted a basking Wall Lizard. Some damp patches by the edges of the road attracted more Spotted Fritillaries as well some Small Skippers, Silver-studded Blues and one or two Escher’s Blues, the first of the trip and another target species!

Near the boundary of the national park there was a small rope bridge where we had a late lunch lunch in the company of several ringlet species, including the Western Brassy Ringlet, Piedmont Ringlet, Lefebvre’s Ringlet and Mountain Ringlet. After lunch we decided to explore the damp riverside areas where we encountered dozens of mudpuddling butterflies. Most were Silver-studded Blues but there were a few Small, Essex and Silver-spotted Skippers, Heath and Meadow Fritillaries, Escher’s Blues, Chalkhill Blues and a solitary Mazarine Blue. Nearby on Yarrow we also noted a beautiful male Scarce Copper, showing off its stunning upperside whilst feeding rather obliviously to us.

After we had finished exploring the river banks it was nearing 4pm and with the descent still to complete, we decided not to press any further and turned back with the intention of getting a well deserved drink! The journey back down the valley also proved very productive, with the milder temperatures resulting in more sedated butterflies. Several Apollos glided down from the hillsides to feed on Knapweed and they were joined by Marbled Whites and a few Lesser Marbled Fritillaries. I spotted an Escher’s Blue perched nicely on a Scabious flower which was soon followed by a Turquoise Blue sunning itself by the roadside. Several other species were roosting or basking in the meadows on the journey down, including Spotted, Meadow and False Heath Fritillaries, Silver-spotted, Small, Safflower and Marbled Skippers, a Southern White Admiral, Large Wall Browns and several Chalkhill Blues.

After taking a few final photos we made our way to our B&B before dinner. I was delighted after such a successful day but I still wanted to get to the picturesque Barrage d’Ossoue and Anna agreed so the next morning we set off again.

Due to how long it took us yesterday we decided to try our luck at hitch hiking our way there and back. We only had to wait 5 minutes before an obliging French couple agreed to take us most of the way; to around 3km before the dam itself. It was another beautiful day and after walking for only a few minutes we were treated to the sighting of a rather inquisitive Marmot who sat on the dirt track quite obediently. A couple of hundred metres further up the track were some small mountain streams flowing across our path which attracted a cluster of mupuddling blues. Among them was a real alpine specialist and one which I was delighted to see, the Glandon Blue. A solitary female was unremarkable in appearance but this rare species is only found in sub-alpine and alpine areas of the Alps and Pyrenees, making it a wonderful find.

I was chuffed after finding the Glandon Blue, however seeing it was somewhat eclipsed by the sighting of its even scarcer mountain-dwelling relative, the Gavarnie Blue. This similar species has a brighter upperside with little or no black on its underside hindwing spots, helping confirm its identity. It is only found in a few sites in the Pyrenees and the Picos de Europe in northern Spain and was by far the find of the trip.

In the final kilometre or so before the dam there were numerous other species of butterfly, such as the Apollo, Clouded Yellow, Chalkhill Blue, Turquoise Blue, Heath Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary and Marbled Skipper, mostly taking minerals from the damp ground. By the time we reached the dam we were ready for lunch which we had on a grassy bank surrounded by Turquoise, Escher’s and Silver-studded Blues, Apollos, Safflower Skippers, Lefebvre’s Ringlets and a few new species such as the Large Grizzled Skipper and the mountain dwelling Shepherd’s Fritillary, two lovely additions which capped off a fabulous butterfly list for the holiday. With cloudless skies, pristine alpine water and abundant wildlife, I can’t imagine that it will be long before I’m back here; a truly magical spot. OB

The French Pyrenees – Part 1 – July 2019

August 6, 2019 /

The Pyrenees make up one of the largest mountain ranges in Europe, forming a natural border between France and Spain and extending from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea. At their highest point they reach an elevation of 3404m at the Pico d’Aneto on the Spanish side with the highest on the French side being Vignemale, near the village we stayed in which reaches a height of 3298m. It is also one of the oldest mountain ranges in Europe with many of the immense cirques, cliffs, peaks and valleys being formed during the Quaternary Ice Age, 2.5 million years ago! The variation in rock types, altitudes and climatic conditions supports a stunning variety of plants and animals and when combined with the scenery, the Pyrenees is a truly fantastic place to visit.

My girlfriend Anna and I stayed in the village of Gavarnie which is situated three kilometres or so from the base of an impressive Cirque (a french word meaning ‘amphitheatre’), which is an large concave-shaped glacial valley.  Our B&B was situated on a hill just outside the main street, giving us a fantastic view of the surrounding peaks. It was surrounded by rich hay meadows with a wealth of different wildflowers and butterfly species. Marbled Whites were everywhere and probably the commonest butterfly of the entire trip. They were accompanied by Meadow Browns, Pearly Heaths and a few Small Heaths. One or two Clouded Yellows whizzed by and a single Apollo stopped momentarily to feed on a Knapweed flower. A Black-veined White was found in the early morning trying to warm itself up whilst my first ever Mountain Argus was seen basking in the grassy area just above the B&B. Flowers such as Thyme, Lady’s Bedstraw and Field Scabious were abundant, along with the less familiar Fringed Pink, a lovely species of well-drained soils found in southern Europe.

Several of the ‘golden’ skippers were seen further up the hill and were so numerous that there was one basking on almost every other blade of grass! Essex and Small Skippers were the most numerous but there were a few Large Skippers in the mix too. Accompanying them were large numbers of Marbled Whites and a solitary male Large Wall Brown which was a nice addition. The two most notable species in my opinion however were a Purple-edged Copper and a slightly worn but still impressive Large Blue.

The walk from the village to the cirque winds through luxuriant meadows supporting a wealth of species followed by a gradual ascent through woodland. This in turn is followed by open sub-alpine grassland and scree at the foot of the cascade, which is reported to be the highest in Europe! Wildflowers included many familiar species such as Knapweed, Field Scabious, Lady’s Bedstraw, Red Clover and a beautiful subspecies of Kidney Vetch which was pink in colour instead of the more familiar yellow; something which is unique to the Pyrenees. The meadows were alive with butterflies, especially fritillaries of which I counted at least 7 species; Silver-washed, Dark Green, Niobe, Queen of Spain, Lesser Marbled, Heath, and False Heath. Chalkhill Blues were fairly numerous and were accompanied by a few beautiful Turquoise Blues and the odd Mazarine Blue.  One Heath Fritillary even landed on Anna’s bag, thinking the bright colours were flowers!

There were a few Clouded Yellows which flew by rapidly, as well as one European Swallowtail which I tried to follow but it was just too fast for me. I saw my first Piedmont Ringlets here (which were quite common throughout the trip), one individual in particular was laying eggs on blades of grass by the edge of the path. Horses would regularly walk visitors along the path and as a result, manure lying around was a common occurrence. It managed to attract several butterflies including a first Marbled Skipper for me and a few Heath Fritillaries. Perhaps the species that made me most excited was a beautiful male Scarce Copper which was initially very flighty but eventually settled on some Yarrow before being chased off by a Mazarine Blue.

After about a kilometre or so the landscape suddenly changed quite dramatically, with the lush meadows being replaced with mature woodland. Here there were fewer species, partly due to the amount of cloud which was starting to settle in the valley. I did manage to find a few Heath and Lesser Marbled Fritillaries, Wood Whites and the Piedmont Ringlets were still quite abundant despite the lack of sun! Some clearings in the woodland were home to large numbers of Pyrenean Iris, a large rich purple flower that was to become a very familiar sight over the next few days.

A kilometre before the foot of the cascade the trees made way for open sub-alpine grassland which brought with it a host of new species. Birds such as the Alpine Chough and Crag Martin flew overheard with the former being quite tame and apparently quite used to the large droves of visitors which the Cirque attracts. I also managed to observe a curious type of insect, the Scorpion Fly. Flowers which had restricted distributions or precise habit requirements occurred here such as the Rock Cinqufoil, Alpine Aster, Fairy’s Thimble, Dusky Cranesbill and Pyrenean Columbine existed among the rocky crags and short grassland. Butterflies here were sparse, but the Mountain Ringlet was added to the ever-growing list.

As we neared the base of the cascade it began to rain quite heavily. Anna and I were dressed for the sunny weather down in the valley so resorted to huddling under an overhanging rock until the rain subsided! The final ascent up to the cascade involved walking on steep scree which would have been very challenging without walking poles, so we decided to turn back and head back down the valley. The clouds remained for the majority of the descent but of course, as soon as we set foot in the village the sun came out and it was as if it has never rained. Such is the unpredictability of mountain weather. We headed back to the B&B and decided to have an early night as there was much more hiking still to be done!

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