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 VulturesĀ  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