For the last few years the plan (Covid restrictions allowing) if I did this has always been to go on the spur of the moment if I knew the weather would be right. With two regular Oxon wildlife colleagues holidaying in the Cairngorms this week I now learned conditions were indeed favourable. So I jumped on a plane and went.

Chequered Skipper

After a 70-minute morning flight from Luton to Inverness, the drive through the Great Glen was in the expected sunshine denied to me through a week up here last July. So Loch’s Ness, Oich and Lochy and the surrounding mountain scenery were all beheld as they should be. Then after reaching Allt Mhuic butterfly reserve (see here) around 3pm, I quickly found what had brought me. Remembering a spot that the 2022 tour guide had cited as good for my quest, I started seeing them as soon as I reached it.

This is a classic site for Chequered Skipper, sitting above the north shore of Loch Arkaig (PH34 4EJ – NN121912). But pre-booking group tours to observe them is always a risk and many people just do not get the required weather, including myself last summer. Now I watched these tiny, hyperactive Skippers along a winding track through bracken on the steep hillside for the next two hours. They were tricky little things to get pictures of, rarely settling in a full-on way. Easily spooked, they would then dart some distance away like the Chiltern Silver-spotted Skippers at home. These (below) were my better pictures.

Chequered Skippers at Allt Mhuic butterfly reserve

The butterfly ranges across much of northern, central and eastern Europe but in the British Isles is now restricted to the area of Scotland I was visiting, where it is locally common. It became extinct in England from1975 until the recent re-introduction in Northants (see here). The fiercely territorial males perch on prominent vegetation such as sapling leaves with wings draped back and open, to dart out and buzz any passing intruder, such as I witnessed here. And I also noticed how they were especially fond of settling on Bluebells, that are acknowledged as a favourite nectar source together with Bugle.

On Thursday (25th) I spent three hours from 1pm at Glasdrum Wood NNR (PA38 4BQ – NN006460) that is said to be better for CS than Allt Mhuic, and they fly earlier here. The prime area is a strip of open bracken habitat beneath power cables at the foot of the steeply sloping site, access to which is just a stone’s throw from the car park. I was directed there by a couple who were leaving as I arrived, so once again the connect was almost immediate. But these Chequered Skipper seemed disinclined to settle so I set off to explore the entire reserve and see what other hot spots might be available.

The ancient woodland site is a prime example of temperate rainforest produced by the Scottish west coast’s mild, wet Atlantic climate. Nationally important ranges of many lichen species thrive here, coating the trees below which as significant collections of ferns and mosses abound. This all supports a hugely diverse invertebrate fauna including 20 different butterflies that benefit from the south-facing aspect’s small glades and larger areas of open ground that act as sun traps. But the habitat is all very dense and steep, striking me as seriously off-piste to seek out more CS in. I found one or two here and there but opted for the easier alternative of concentrating upon the place where I had started.

This time I walked much further along the corridor below the power lines (pictured above), crossing paths with more and more Skippers as I progressed. But I was walking into the sun, so most of the subjects I encountered would settle looking away from me and needing to be got around which was highly unlikely. Not so on the way back when as anticipated I found the same butterflies posing head-on and being generally more approachable, with these agreeable results (below). It was amusing to see the miniscule entities sometimes aggressively challenge passing Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries that also fly here.

Chequered Skippers at Glasdrum Wood NNR

And to round things off there was this

It was now time to start thinking about getting back to the airport and heading home. The re-introduced colony in Northants just didn’t do it properly for me a year ago. By contrast I left site today feeling completely satisfied with the outcome of these impromptu two days in Scotland: relieved to have experienced the real kosher deal at last, and secure in the knowledge that this so tricky British straggler had been put to bed properly. Now I need not think about travelling to observe them ever again.

Others have trod this path before me. When the better stuff seems like too much trouble but every so often I go out and add a few anyway to an at best half-hearted year list, it is possibly time (county ticks such as Black-winged Stilt aside) to give annual Oxon birding a rest. Likewise I have felt little inclination to re-work the English insect portfolios yet again this year. So as an alternative new season pursuit I have elected to seek out up to 30 of the 53 native British Orchids that can be found in my home county and neighbouring Bucks. The earliest occurring species can all be found at sites close to home, so that is where I started. Those covered in this post (in order of observation) are:

• Early Purple Orchid @ Sydlings Copse
• Green-winged Orchid @ Bernwood Meadows, Asham and Wendlebury Meads
• Heath Spotted Orchid @ Woodside Meadows
• Early Marsh Orchid @ Lye Valley and Parsonage Moor

Sydlings Copse, OX3 9TY – SP 559096

BBOWT reserve (see here) to the north-east of Oxford and just south of RSPB Otmoor, accessed on foot (600 metres) from a small lay-by on the B4027 road or by bridleway from Barton.

An unusual mix of habitats at this very diverse and fascinating site comprises ancient broad-leaved woodland, limestone grassland, reed bed, fen and rare Oxfordshire heathland; that between them support more than 400 plant species. After an earlier reconnoitre I visited here on 11th May to view Early Purple Orchid. Taking the right hand fork from the reserve entrance I found 50-something plants, mostly characterised by tall, slim flower spikes in shades of purple, through a gate at the end of that track.

This is the third most widespread British species and as the name suggests is an annual vanguard. Generally common, it may be found growing amongst Bluebells, Cowslips and Wood Anemones in coppiced woodland; as well as on rough pasture, open downland, meadows, roadsides and railway embankments. Each open and irregular-shaped bloom has 10 – 50 flowers that emit a strong smell of urine to attract pollinators but do not produce nectar.

Early Purple Orchids

Bernwood Meadows HP18 9UR – SP 606111

BBOWT reserve (see here) on the border between the two counties, north of Stanton St John and east of Horton-cum-Studley, with a small parking area (max four spaces).

There are three traditional hay meadows here that are managed to support over100 different wild plants, and host England’s largest and most well-known profusion of Green-winged Orchid. Having sought out earliest specimens through April (see here) to familiarise myself with the species, I came back on 11th May to take in the full, many-thousand strong spectacle of peak season (pictured below) that did not disappoint.

This “petite” (5 – 15 cm) Orchid of unimproved grasslands was once commonplace but its range has halved with agricultural intensification. It is now one of the most rapidly declining British species away from sympathetically managed habitat where it tends to grow in large colonies, such as here. The name comes from green or bronze parallel veins in the hood of up to 25 helmet-shaped flowers that grow in a loose, linear bunch at the top of the single stalk. The inflorescence may be of various shades, mainly purple but ranging from pale pink, through mauve to white. On this visit I concentrated on pictorial records of the less frequent colour forms (pictured below).

Green-winged Orchids

Asham Meads, OX5 2RF – SP 590143

BBOWT reserve (see here) accessed by bridleways from a minor road between Murcott and Boarstall (with unfriendly signage), or from Horton-cum-Studley (welly boots essential).

Three damp meadows here support scarce communities of marsh-loving plants including huge numbers of Green-winged Orchid in spring. I visited on 16th May, choosing the less hostile southern route in, and though spotted twice by resident farmers was not seen off. Getting there through wet, muddy ground was something of a challenge though after recent prolonged foul weather, but what eventually awaited me was well worth the effort. It was indeed a second spectacle to rival Bernwood Meadows (pictured below), and the site’s remoteness added a certain extra evocative quality and atmosphere to proceedings.

It is impossible to move around Asham Meads without trampling habitat so I limited myself to the near end of the Lower Marsh, luxuriating in a sense of peaceful solitude all the while. These (below) are a few of the plants that caught my eye on this occasion.

Green-winged Orchids

Woodsides Meadow, OX25 2PT – SP 556177

BBOWT reserve (see here) accessed by bridleway from a minor road south-west of Wendlebury.

This three-field site is managed as traditional hay meadows characterised by medieval “ridge and furrow” plough marks. It is part of the SSSI-classed Wendlebury Meads complex of remnant calcareous pasture, and supports more than 100 different wild plants. I moved on from Asham Meads to what is a further secluded gem on 16th May. Having read that Green-winged Orchid occurs here too, in scanning for those tall, slim forms I at first failed to notice the large numbers of young and far more petite, site-speciality Heath Spotted Orchid that were looking straight back at me. But once I got my eye in I kept on finding more and more of the latter, which I had observed just once before in Scotland last year.

This is as far as I know the only Oxon location for this Orchid, that is also found at four heathland sites in neighbouring Berks. My research reveals the species occurs extensively on acidic soils across most of its range but will also colonise calcareous pasture where it still survives, such as here. To my unpractised eye today’s plants all had a “miniature” and less robust quality than the closely related Common Spotted Orchid that is more typical of non-acidic habitat. I initially took that as the diagnostic rather than subtleties in the blooms.

Heath Spotted Orchids

Reading into the latter, I found the description (see here) of HSO flowers as “being washed with a pale pink and having many purple marks and discontinuous lines upon them that do not form the well defined loops of CSO”, to be the clearest indicator. The above sequence I believe clearly shows this, but I am not so sure about the outer plants below that my Seek app also identified as HSO but possibly look more like the bolder CSO. As always I am open to informed guidance here.

There is clearly a lot of variation in flowers of both species. Most sources agree that the faintly scented HSO spikes are shorter than CSO, usually between 10 and 20cm high, and tend to be conical. In the south of England HSO is said to bloom two weeks earlier, and vice-versa in the north continuing through July. To complicate matters, the two species readily hybridise, as HSO does with other marsh orchids. The “spotted” in the names refers to spots on the leaves rather than on the flowers themselves.

I came back here two days later on 18th finding many more plants (pictured below) erupting in clusters from the damp plough and furrows, and having read up on all this earlier in the morning became convinced that what I was finding was indeed HSO in a rather special location. After checking things out with trusted sources HSO’s historical presence was confirmed, though possibly not too many people visit here for the purpose. In my first serious Orchid season I feel very glad to have done so

Heath Spotted Orchids

Wendlebury Meads, Oxon – SP 563173

An area of traditional calcareous pastures, accessed on foot to the north-east of Charlton-on-Otmoor, lying on private land but crossed by a public right of way that there is nothing to stop anyone wandering from.

Visiting on 18th May, the first meadow I reached contained a third Green-winged Orchid spectacle (pictured below) to rival Bernwood Meadows and Asham Meads. Once again the soothing sense of solitude here appealed to my non-preferred option of doing these things alone, and I rejoiced in the awareness that such out of the way places still exist in our frenetic world, not to mention so close to home. These fields, still showing evidence of medieval ridge and furrow ploughing, for whatever reason have never been “improved” or farmed by modern methods. Such calcareous pasture was commonplace in southern England up to the early 20th century but very little now survives, so today’s location offers an appealing experience of ecosystems from largely lost times gone by.

After that first field the path continued across three more in which any Orchid interest if present was well hidden, until I reached the hard access track to Woodsides Meadow that I re-visited. The onward route eventually skirted a further part of this intriguing complex known as Mansmoor Closes, a series of enclosures on private land with no access that are managed in the same way, though some were being grazed by cattle or horses. More large concentrations of what must have been GWO were visible in the middle distance from the private concrete road along which the bridleway back to Charlton-on-Otmoor ran.

This morning was another thoroughly stimulating and spirit-cleansing diversion, such as this entire exercise is so effectively offering, and I am only up to three Orchids so far. It’s difficult to imagine for instance how many hundreds of GWO I must have scrutinised for most attractive items. Just being in the “lost places” they still thrive in has been more rewarding than I could have imagined. Much more will be added to this from here on in.

Lye Valley, Oxford OX3 7HP – SP547058

A local nature reserve (see here) administered by Oxford City Council in partnership with BBOWT and volunteer groups, accessed on foot from surrounding residential streets.

In the fourth week of May my attention turned to Marsh Orchids, Early and Southern of which as the name suggests the former goes first. Oxford and its environs has two remnant areas of nationally rare calcareous fen habitat that support both items. On the morning of 22nd I visited one of those that is close to my favoured supermarket. It didn’t take long to find what I was looking for, there being in excess of 50 Early Marsh Orchid in full bloom in one portion of the valley.

This species was found historically in wet grassland areas including marshes, floodplains and wet meadows such as Iffley and Bernwood; but is now lost from around 40 per cent of it’s former range due to land drainage and (like GWO) modern agricultural practice. Where it survives EMO is said to occur mainly in small numbers so this must be a good site. The flowering period is from late May to early July.

Having thus gained a personal first sighting I was expecting the flower size to be larger. As with plumage topography in birds, I do not intend to go into petals, sepals, lips and hoods too much herein; being content to let my pictures distinguish the plants presented. EMO in Oxon and Bucks are all of the same sub-species, and there are four more with interesting colour variation in different parts of Great Britain. Hybridisation with Southern Marsh, Common and Heath Spotted is also a factor, producing many intermediate forms.

Early Marsh Orchids

The final picture in the sequence above was taken later on the same day at BBOWT Parsonage Moor (SU461997), part of the Cothill Fen complex to the west of the city. This has been the classic Oxon Marsh Orchid site over the years but my understanding is they occur there only in small numbers. On this occasion I located just two specimens, so Lye Valley not for the first time in recent memory provided the superior experience.

My wish list for this trip was compiled from missed trip targets on the 2019 Greenwings Clouded Apollo tour. In attempting to research where to find them I consulted what trip reports from wildlife tour operators I could find online, but those understandably do not give away precise site locations. But the town of Siatista is a centre for some tours and above it is a range comprising Mounts Stalos, Askio, Pyrgos, Sideras and Skopia, the last of which is cited as a location for some species I was seeking this time. So that is where I decided to concentrate my search.

Just outside Siatista on the road to Galatini a right turn goes up into those mountains along an unmade road that is perfectly passable without a 4WD. I had imagined this led into the foothills but it is actually a service road to a wind farm and so runs along the heights to where the turbines are located. Cloud of course sits on mountain tops, colder winds blow up there than below and weather patterns can change very quickly, none of which is especially butterfly friendly; so this was going to be another challenge.

The wet weather finally relented on Friday (5th), but cloud still prevailed and I was expecting nothing more than a typical butterflying day (such as at home) of waiting for sunny interludes. After exploring the length of the route in mainly misty conditions I decided to come back later, but on the descent noticed butterflies for the first time in a sheltered gully above the road. Stopping to investigate, both Krueper’s Small White and Grüner’s Orange Tip were immediately apparent on the wing. I had become familiar with the former earlier in the week at Nestos Gorge (see here), while the latter appeared smaller and creamier-toned than the regular Orange Tips at home. Some mysterious, larger, dark butterflies were also flying fast further up the slope but I couldn’t get close to them. Peacock perhaps or could they be the trip target Dalmatian Ringlet?

Krueper’s Small White (first brood)

Collins describes Krueper’s preferred habitat as hot, dry, precipitous slopes of limestone or other calcareous rocks hosting a wide range of flowering plants; and that perfectly describes the spot I had found here. The butterflies seemed noticeably paler than those encountered in Nestos Gorge and always settled with wings closed. I came back the next day at 10am hoping to find them basking open-winged while warming up with the day, but still could not gain top-side studies. I nonetheless took plenty of pictures of what is the rarest of the Small Whites in Europe, all of which illustrate the distinctive green under-wing markings that are darker in the first than subsequent broods.

The Grüner’s (pictured inconclusively below, top left) also seemed paler-toned than those I had observed in Greece’s Rodopi Mountains in April 2019 (see here), and like all Orange Tips were difficult to gain adequate pictures of. But the yellowish ground colour of this localised species was more apparent in the field than in sub-standard images that I managed. Other butterflies seen in this post’s location over the two days were Dingy and Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Green-veined White, Small Copper, Common Blue, Small Heath, Wall Brown and a solitary Spotted Fritillary.

Three Southern Festoon (below right) in the gully described above added a little more of a regional flavour to the list, which as at this trip’s first centre could only be described as very modest. And then there were those elusive, dark, fast flying numbers … what were they?

My final day in Siatista, Saturday 6th was to begin with the sunniest of the four. After checking out the same gully again without better results than a day earlier, I went all the way up to the aforementioned Mt Skopia but the wind was just too strong and cold up there for butterflies to be active. Hence I moved back down again systematically checking out the more sheltered hollows and gullies noted on the ascent. Still just one Grüner’s was the only butterfly encountered until in the spot featured in this post’s lead image one of those dark fast flyers landed on the ground close by. Conditions being momentarily overcast this item kept still and was indeed Dalmatian Ringlet (pictured below), of which several were active in the same hollow.

A huge wave of relief swept through me as I acquired unsatisfactory pictures of the third trip lifer. It is the only Ringlet to fly here in late April through May, and was bigger than I had expected. A distinctive member of the extensive Ringlet genus, it occurs only in a small area of north-west Greece as well as along the Croatian coast; and though very localised can be quite numerous where it is found. This butterfly favours warm, dry, grassy, rocky slopes, on which it flies just above ground level with an undulating jizz. As I had experienced over these two days their large, black forms are highly visible from quite a distance.

It was now the sunniest part of the day but I was very hungry, so with the journey back to the airport for a late departure ahead of me I went back to Siatista for a sandwich break. On the descent the tell tale presence of Krueper’s Small White and Dalmatian Ringlet were visible in more roadside gullies similar to the one I had spent time in. Then below that favourite spot I noted several Dalmatian Ringlet at the roadside that had dispersed when I reached them with the camera. The rocky slope above was alive with their dark, hyperactive forms. There are certainly a lot of this local speciality in these mountains.

Alas, when I came back with food the grey stuff had returned with me and the rest of the afternoon was far less productive than the morning. Butterflying, being so weather dependent is rarely easy and I had gained just three of my 15 mostly difficult trip targets on only one fully and three partially suitable days out of six. I had already decided to do Orchids at home for the first time as a project this coming season, which is perhaps just as well with the weather outlook for Blighty looking little better than in Greece. But unlike 2023’s earlier trip abroad to Fuerteventura, this first solo exercise in a country I like very much had on the balance of things been worthwhile.

So what does one do if a Greek butterfly trip is washed out AGAIN? Well, in this instance going to what until recently was the world’s largest Dalmatian Pelican breeding colony just 70 miles (111 km) away seemed like a welcome opportunity. Prespa Lakes, which straddle the borders between Greece, Albania and FYR Macedonia is also one of just two European sites where Dalmatian and White Pelican both breed; and there is a huge diversity of bird life across the immediate area.

There are two lakes here separated by a narrow strip of land. Megali Prespa to the north is by far the larger, while Mikri Prespa being shallower and having extensive reed beds is the focus for bird life. 1300 – 1400 pairs of Dalmatian and 350 of White Pelican have historically reproduced in the reed beds, while taking advantage of the larger lake for feeding. There are also important breeding populations of Pygmy Cormorant (700 pairs), Black-crowned Night Heron, Ferruginous Duck and most recently Glossy Ibis.

For the second stage of this trip I relocated to Siatista in the Askion Mountains, 90 miles (144 km) to the south-west of Thessaloniki. Having stopped half way back from Xanthi overnight, I drove here on Wednesday morning (3rd) through at times absolutely foul conditions. Things relented upon arrival for long enough to explore the local amenities and access point to the area I intended to search for butterflies, then from mid-afternoon onward it rained continuously.

Butterflies of course only come out with the golden orb, and seasonal weather patterns can vary their emergence times by two to three weeks. So planning any trip abroad is an imprecise art. Just driving around on 3rd it was all too apparent what a suitable location for my purpose I was in, if only the rain would stop and sunshine be given a chance.

Hence this morning it was with some excitement that I set off north-west from my base to experience a national park I had read about but didn’t think I would ever visit. By now my motivation in any case lay more in doing that than hanging around in the mountains above Siatista waiting for any breaks in the grey and wet stuff. For much of the time on both the outward and return journeys I was the only vehicle on the road.

I set Google Maps to “Prespa Lakes National Park” and the route ended at a point on the western shore of Mikri Prespa. If you too are coming here for the first time be warned the cited NP entrance is a very remote location accessed by a long rough road. After yesterday’s prolonged heavy rain I eventually considered it to be impassable. So not wanting to get my hire car stuck in mud with virtually no chance of rescue I left it on firm ground and walked the final stretch.

Below this access track stretched extensive reed beds from which the jangling calls of many Great Reed Warbler (pictured above) rang forth all the way along. Little and occasional Great White Egret were loafing here and there, while minor congregations of Pygmy Cormorant appearing as if almost suspended in the reeds stood out at intervals. On the landward side the sound of numbers of singing Nightingale and calls of Golden Oriole and Hoopoe filled the air.

At my destination lay this (above). I had wondered if the national park would have any kind of visitor centre, but a makeshift field station was all there is. I couldn’t detect anything remarkable about the stretch of shoreline at the end of the track and felt glad to have been prevented from taking the car down there. Then gladder still to drive it safely away.

The best place to observe Pelicans was from the road that runs along the lake’s reed fringed north-west shore. There are two viewing platforms there beside an empty building, and a floating footbridge that crosses the lake to an island Agios Achillios. I viewed upwards of 30 Dalmatian Pelican (pictured below) today, either on the water or in flight, and at one point 17 were spiralling in the air like the Oxon Red Kites at home.

I at first assumed given these numbers the breeding season must not yet be in full swing. But writing this up I learned that in 2022 bird flu (see here) wiped out 60 per cent of the Dalmatian Pelicans here. The malaise broke out very early in the season, so after carcasses were removed and incinerated the later returning White Pelicans were mostly saved. The event has been described as the worst ecological tragedy ever to hit Greek wildlife. When the outbreak was over just 100 Dalmatian pairs raised 90 young. Nature is resilient and now has a task in hand to restore this colony to its former status.

There was no rain throughout my time here today but conditions remained steadfastly overcast so I did not experience the site at it’s best. I feel pleased to have now been to both of Greece’s major Pelican breeding sites after Lake Kerkini in May 2017 (see here). This post’s record shots gained in poor light reflect how it was not possible to get close to the birds. At Kerkini visitors are taken out to within a safe distance by boat. The more remote and probably less visited Prespa lacks the facilities and pazazz of Kerkini but was still good value on this alternative day out.

I had first planned a solo expedition to this region in the Covid spring of 2020, prompted by the large-part failure through foul weather of the previous year’s Greenwings False Apollo tour (see here and here). Back then I had opted to forgo the convenience company, cramped minibuses and end of day sit down meals of group tours in favour of attempting to self-find up to 15 more butterfly lifers. This year that challenge still appealed though after three intervening seasons of enforced British list re-working I reasoned just being out in the mountainous wild again amongst southern European butterflies could be sufficiently rewarding even if the more specific trip agenda is not achieved.

Such a compromise approach seemed sensible given the difficulty of most of the species on my wish list. Three tricky ones are Southern, Mountain and Krueper’s Small Whites that may all be found in Nestos Gorge, which had been the most spectacularly washed out location of all on that 2019 tour. The next Greenwings group in 2022 logged 37 species in near perfect weather conditions. Hence I elected to give things two full days there, anticipating a lot of careful scrutiny of on the wing subjects should the weather oblige.

For my base I chose the nearby town of Xanthi, where upon arriving in the early afternoon of 30th April conditions turned showery, so I opted for a half-day of acclimatising after two days of travel. Nestos Gorge is accessed via an adventure park so I was mindful of that on a Sunday before embarking upon the serious wildlife agenda a day later. Monday morning (1st) was gloriously sunny but still cool as I walked out along 10 km of what is described as one of the most scenic and environmentally rich hiking trails in northern Greece (pictured above). When the sun rose above the cliff behind me as I approached a butterfly-friendly looking stretch they began to appear. Then the first Small White to cross my path was at once recognisable as a trip target.

Mountain Small White (pictured below) is not as big as the regular variety and my first sighting had a delicate, bouncy flight style more reminiscent of Wood White. When this butterfly settled the diagnostic pale, square forewing tips were apparent at once. First brood males such as this also have much fainter black dots on the forewings.

This Mediterranean and Middle Eastern species flies in a series of broods from April to August, favouring dry, open, stony places. Of the Small Whites encountered further along the trail I thought most were probably more of the same on jizz. There were two candidates for Southern SW, but each time other walkers passed at the moment when the butterflies allowed me to get close with the camera.

Nestos Gorge is a spectacular location and after the wash out of 2019 I was so pleased to be experiencing it in all its stunning glory (above). At around 12:30 I turned back to concentrate on finding the other two Small Whites in the better butterfly habitat. But my app had forecast early afternoon showers and a thundery build-up began right on cue. My luck held as I reached the adventure park just before it rained to be met by a sea of humanity, then I got out of there just in time. A huge May Day holiday event was in progress and with no marshalls the car park looked about to become gridlocked.

From the start of the entrance road to the Gorge runs a high road that winds its way up for 10km to a viewpoint from where it is possible to see as far as Bulgaria and Turkey on clear days. The Greenwings group had been there and the rain having soon passed I now went up. The habitat looked good for ground flying butterflies, so I sat in the car and waited for my app’s renewed sunshine.

But conditions remained largely cloudy and cool, so after an hour I resolved to come back in the morning and left. My Tuesday forecast was for wall to wall sunshine and the adventure park would be closed. Hence I could spend the rest of the day in the gorge and major on Southern and Krueper’s Small Whites. Unexciting as those species might seem to others I would surely not have a better chance of finding them than here.

In my first hour on 2nd the sum total of butterflies seen at the high viewpoint was one Orange Tip. What looked like a resident pair of Black-eared Wheatear enlivened my search, while Dartford Warblers rattled away in the bushes and the lilting song of Woodlarks drifted through proceedings from the middle distance. Below to the west the grand scale of the complete route I had walked on Monday (pictured below) was viewable almost in miniature from up here.

When I went back down there appeared to be a similar lack of butterflies along the hiking trail. Eventually while I was watching this Balkan Wall Lizard (below left) a Krueper’s Small White flew over my shoulder and landed right in front of me. But having confirmed the ID I was too slow with the camera and off it went again down the slope.

Balkan Wall Lizard (left) and Krueper’s Small White (right) © and courtesy of Alex Wirth

Like the previous day’s lifer this butterfly was instantly recognisable, this time by the blotchy green underside hind-wing markings and the chequered topside wing tips. The first of those diagnostics is darker in the first brood and less pronounced than in Bath White. This multi-brooded species flies from March to August, in the southern Balkans and Greece where it is very localised and occurs in small numbers. The range extends through Anatolia and the Middle East to the northern Indian sub-continent.

When the butterfly did not return I walked on, but when a German group I had passed on the trail caught me up they had seen the Krueper’s as well. Their leader showed me his own picture (above right) and confirmed that spring is late in Greece this year. Hence the paucity of butterflies being encountered by me, compared with last year’s Greenwings group.

I then went back to what I dubbed “Krueper’s corner” to re-try for my own pictures. Two small rival males and what appeared to be a larger one were now patrolling up and down the steep, rocky slopes above and below the trail (pictured above). The species is said to exploit air currents over hot, bare slopes such as this, as males search for females and the latter look for egg laying sites.

Two Mountain SW, one very worn were also in the mix and those were the only ones to co-operate for the camera. I returned here more times through the afternoon but the Krueper’s though plain to pick out were just not inclined to settle. For the rest of the time I walked up and down the trail seeing what else I could find and being distracted by new (for me) Mediterranean Orchids (pictured below).

Nestos Gorge is not an easy place to butterfly given the steepness of the terrain that is impossible to move around without risk of serious mishap. So non-mountain goats such as myself are restricted to what can be observed along the trail path. And I couldn’t imagine being in such limited space with a wildlife group all jostling for pictures. When the lateness of this current season is added into the mix the task I had set myself here turned out to be quite difficult.

Apart from the two featured lifers there were meagre pickings through these two days. The only tiny Blues, rival males eventually revealed themselves to be nothing more than Small Blue (above left). Otherwise it was a limited selection of early season species: Wall Brown, Orange Tip, Clouded Yellow, Speckled Wood, Brimstone, Green-veined White, Painted Lady and Southern Festoon. But there could have been no better location in which to enjoy a little soul cleansing at the start of another butterfly season than Nestos Gorge.