Tag: Sierra de Almijara

Aside from the section of the Sierra de Almijara around Nerja, there were two other areas of these mountains that I travelled to whilst I was in the region: Frigiliana and Canillas de Abaida. These two attractive white-washed hilltop towns offered something slightly different than the hills around Nerja and I was keen to get out and explore them.

The day during which I was looking for wildlife near Frigiliana was brief and admittedly I spent much of my time exploring the quaint white-washed streets. I did manage to take a short walk into the adjacent hills where I found a number of interesting butterfly species. Top of the list was the magnificent Two-tailed  Pasha. This stunning butterfly is the only representative of the Charaxes genus in Europe and I was treated to the sighting of three individuals, hilltoping in an open clearing. ‘Hiltopping’ is the name for the habit that certain butterflies have of flying to the tops of hills and often finding a prominent perch and driving off any other butterflies that happen to fly past. I like to think of it as the butterfly equivalent of playing ‘king of the castle’.

Other species I found were the ever-present Wall Brown, Small Copper and Dusky Heath, but a surprise for me was the Large Wall Brown. Unlike the regular Wall Brown this species is generally harder to find, particularly in southern Spain and is limited to rockier areas in the hills. I found it feeding on some Mediterranean Thyme but only managed a few photos as it was rather wary, although it never flew far when disturbed.

The other area I explored was a higher-altitude site near the village of Canillas de Anaida. After the windy road up to the village, a narrow lane led me to the little recreation area of Fabrica de la Luz, or ‘Factory of the Light’. I arrived here quite early in the morning and the sun had not yet risen sufficiently to bring out many butterflies, so I began my walk up into the mountains. After about 45 minutes of walking things were starting to warm up and I saw my first Dusky Heaths and Wall Browns of the day, species which seem to be common in these mountains. After around 15 minutes or so I made it to a prominent ridge where the sun was shining fully, so there were many more species in flight here. A Small Copper was feeding on Field Eryngo, which was by far the most popular nectar plant in this area. Also joining it was a Southern Gatekeeper, which was surprisingly sparse during my time here.

The pathway zig-zagged its way up a hill between pine woodland and dry open clearings. In such clearings the insect diversity was impressive, with a range of butterflies, bugs, beetles, wasps and bees all being seen. One particular bug which caught my attention was an Assassin Bug, Rhynocoris cuspidatus. These bugs lie in wait on flowers and pounce on any visiting insects. Other insects here included the attractive Longhorn Beetle, Chlorophorus trifasciatus and a species of leafcutter bee, Megachile sp. which I think was Megachile rotundata.

As I continued up the hill I was treated to a nice variety of butterflies. Tree Graylings, Wall Brown and more Dusky Heaths were present in the wooded areas whilst in the open areas species like the Small Copper, Long-tailed Blue and Bath White were seen, attracted in particular to Field Eryngo, Curryplant and various thistles.

Another new butterfly for me was the Spanish Gatekeeper. I was pleased to find this species as it was a new one for me and very much a target for the trip. I managed to get a shot as it basked in some dappled shade in one of the patches of woodland. A few Iberian Marbled Whites were also in flight further along this path, which were a nice surprise and one species I had not seen since doing the Camino in northern Spain. The Mountain Argus, a species I had seen for the first time the previous year in the French Pyrenees was also seen in this general area as were both the Blue-spot and False Ilex Hairstreaks, the latter being a new species and one which I had again been very much hoping to find on my trip.

After about two-and-a-half hours of walking I reached a particular clearing where I found one of the most special of all Spanish butterflies; the Andalusian Anomalous Blue. Although not the most striking species this butterfly is a real rarity even within Spain, being classed as vulnerable, endemic to Spain and confined to just a few mountains in the south of the country. I was delighted when I came across a fresh male feeding once again on Field Eryngo.

I spent some time photographing and enjoying watching this lovely butterfly before I decided to head back down. It was not long after I began my descent that a larger orange butterfly caught my eye. I immediately thought fritillary, but which one? As I approached carefully I was able to recognise it as a Niobe Fritillary, a nice bonus! There aren’t many fritillaries that fly during July in this part of Spain and this species in particular is limited to mountainous areas here. After getting some shots of it feeding on thistles I happened across the humble Sage Skipper. Although not many were seen on this particular walk, overall it was the commonest skipper in the area during my visit.

Continuing back through one of the patches of woodland, I caught sight of a rather drab-brown medium-sized butterfly. It landed once or twice on the dry ground and exposed rock where it blended in rather well and as I was photographing it, I was thinking to myself that it was just a local variation of the Meadow Brown. It was only afterwards whilst I was sorting through my photos that I realised that I had in fact been looking at its scarcer continental relative, the Dusky Meadow Brown. This was a surprise find and which I really didn’t expect to see, so once again I was delighted and couldn’t believe my luck!

I stopped every-so-often to take a look at some of the butterflies that were flying around the path; Bath White, Small Copper, Iberian Marbled White and Dusky Heath were all seen in relative abundance and whilst I was really in my element just watching them all, I didn’t want to keep my mum (who had kindly accompanied me on this trip) waiting for too much longer back at the recreational area as there was only so much sketching she could do! I did have to stop at one stage however and photograph a pristine Clouded Yellow. This species can be common over much of southern and central Europe during the summer and in my experience it had always been difficult to photograph, so I was glad to finally get close enough to get some nice photos of one nectaring happily on one of the several varieties of thistle that grew in the open areas.

After a brisk walk down the mountain I eventually reached the lush floor of the valley where the butterfly activity was much greater than when I had walked along here earlier that morning. Small Whites, Southern Blues and Holly Blues were mudpuddling here as well as flitting around the clumps of bramble that lined the riverbanks. The beautiful ford near the buildings at the recreational area was lined with pink Oleander blossoms and the crystal clear water made this area utterly blissful. A few more species of butterfly were seen here, mostly fixated on obtaining salts from the damp earth. Holly Blues were common as were Long-tailed and Lang’s Short-tailed Blues. A few Southern Marbled Skippers and Clouded Yellows also made an appearance before an Iberian Scarce Swallowtail came swooping by. Unfortunately it didn’t land so it evaded my camera, but it was another nice species to see at this lovely site.

Overall I had a fantastic trip to this lovely region of Spain and was chuffed with my findings. I would definitely recommend it for butterfly lovers but there is plenty for anyone with an interest in wildlife, and indeed anyone who enjoys warm weather, picturesque scenery, good food and quaint villages. I hope I can return someday to sample some of the riches during the spring or visit some of the higher mountains like the Sierra Nevada. Until then, a glass of Tinto de Verano and looking back through my photos will help me savour the memories!