There is a daily TITSA bus from Los Cristianos to Teide NP that allowed me over three hours at the El Portillo visitor centre where I had time for only a rushed visit back in April. On finding that out, I at once sought to do justice to the location. And in a week when it transpired that in other respects blue was thankfully not to be the colour this year, that tone certainly pervaded proceedings here.

On my previous visit I had been directed to a small pond in the botanic garden where Blue Chaffinch come in to drink. That was where I headed straight away this time. Sitting on the same low wall again, as soon as I got my sandwich out and as anticipated I became surrounded by Tenerife Lizards, like pigeons in a city centre square. It seemed they could hear the rustling of cellophane as I attempted to unwrap that well-packed lunch, and numbers gathered round my feet that I had to be careful not to tread upon. More seemed curious about my rucksack, walking over it and attempting to get inside, while others looked up at me from either side on the wall. There are dozens of Gallotia galloti here that have no fear of the humans they are so used to and equate with easy meals. Visitors are requested not to feed them.

Amidst all this I heard a bird call that had to be a Blue Chaffinch, which I attempted to take pictures of with one hand while keeping my baguette out of harm’s way with the other. When I made my way out of the garden and along a trail towards Mt Teide (lead picture) there seemed no particular place for these birds to be and so I returned to the pond. After a while the call was heard again and a striking male (pictured below) made it’s way down a strategically placed perch (right) to drink at the water’s edge (left). It certainly had chutzpah.

Blue Chaffinch: the same bird in different light

This Tenerife endemic, an official symbol of the island, is larger and more heavily built than the familiar Chaffinch at home. Males in breeding plumage are bold and deeply toned, with a strong and heavy looking, conical, slate-grey bill. The locally abundant species most commonly occurs in montane Canarian Pine forest from 1200 – 1800m, so my present location was probably as good a place as any to find them at higher altitude. There is a sub-species on Gran Canaria that is scarcer and classed as threatened.

Atlantic Canary (Serinus canaria) became my 499th European career bird record (Tenerife being part of Spain politically) at this location today. Other lifers from my two Tenerife trips were Plain Swift, either Cory’s or Scopoli’s Shearwater (tbc), Nanday Parakeet (an IAS), a female Blue Chaffinch in April, and Barbary Falcon at Montaña de Guaza. I believe those account for Canary specialties missed previously through my four past visits to Fuerteventura.

There were good numbers of Canary Blue butterfly (see here) on the wing at el Portillo. Tiny, fast-flying and hyperactive, these were a pleasing item to tick off the island wish-list being a full species endemic in the western Canary Islands. A Teide specialty, it is unlike any other European blue since the underwings are a variegated brown in both genders, displaying distinct white webbed patterns with a tooth-shaped white band and eye-spots. On the upper side males are a deep, translucent blue and females rich brown. This multi-brooded species is abundant in grassy flowery places amongst trees and scrub all year round in coastal locations, and flies from March to August at higher altitude to 3000m. The female (pictured above) which kept still for me was unfortunately rather tatty when she opened her wings.

All the while and wherever I went Tenerife Lizards scurried about. Being amongst so many of them in one place afforded an opportunity to witness the variation that arises in this like other species, especially in females and immatures of different ages. In the sequence (below) the first picture is a mature male, complete with enhanced head and jowls, showing the paler colouration of northern subjects. The second is a maturing male with less blue toning, and the third a female or immature male with less obvious ocellation than most others I observed .

Something that pictures of have to be taken home from here is the iconic Mount Teide Red Bugloss (Echium wildpretii – pictured below). These biennial herbaceous plants are also endemic to Tenerife, growing mainly in the sub-alpine zone of Teide NP. They produce dense rosettes of leaves in their first year, then very striking erect inflorescences to 3 metres in the second spring and early summer. After blooming they die. There were very many of them all over the park. The left hand picture (below) was at the more commercialised visitor centre Las Canadas, where the bus stopped for 25 minutes on the outward journey.

And so I end with a vivid splash of red amongst this post’s blue subjects. This day trip must be the most spectacular bus ride I have ever enjoyed, and for a mere £12.20 return fare. The scenery of Teide NP is simply breathtaking. From Los Cristianos the journey unfolded ever upward. Part of the experience was looking down from such great height upon the mountains of my previous post and coastal cloud cover, now very far below.

The road wound on across precipitous slopes and around countless hairpin bends through Teide’s pine forest zone, to emerge into landscapes of volcanic rock formations and vast lava fields surrounding the highest mountain in Spain. It was relaxing not to be doing the driving myself, but much of this could only be appreciated through the smoked glass of the bus windows. So I intend to come back and for longer to fully appreciate this very special place.

When I found out about this I just had to come back. During my April trip I thought there was just one population of the shy and endangered reptile on Tenerife, largely confined to precipitous cliffs in the island’s north-west corner. But a Spanish online resource (see here) I was referred to at the Teno Information Centre confirmed there is a second, smaller cluster just outside of Los Cristianos in the south-west, where I had stayed for the first two nights of that earlier exercise. One group of herpetologists (see here) blogged and published pictures of the species from there in 2024, and iNaturalist also mentions the location.

The area in question is the Mirador Los Cristianos and Montaña de Guaza, mountainous uplands rising above and effectively enclosing the east and south of the town. The higher Mirador is flanked by large apartment complexes, so I secured a suitable studio there at reasonable cost, that would give me a base for up to four days’ searching. This is a popular hiking area (see here), so each day I could set out on foot for as much as I wished, with no need for a hire car, all nicely away from the hustle and bustle of the mass market resort below. There was nothing not to like here.

The dome-like Monumento Natural Montaña de Guaza‘s steep (100 m high), north-facing cliff (pictured below, top) is crossed by a hiking trail that was at first difficult to pick out from below. That took me some time on 19th, but from the start point along Calle Marea on the edge of town an information board is visible about a third of the way up the slope. This proclaims the presence of Tenerife Speckled Lizard (Gallotia intermedia) in the locality and details the conservation effort surrounding it (see here). A second notice tells people not to proceed further as the trail is unsafe. The local authority has good reason to cover itself against liability in that way, but plenty of walkers still make the climb every day.

Trail start point (left) and most challenging stretch (right)

From that point the way forward is plain, following the line of the highest dry stone walls in the top picture, then zig-zagging above the trees at the left, where things become challenging. The right-hand picture (above) really does show part of the trail. From the top the route continues to the summit of the Mirador, while more traverse Guaza giving access into further hiking areas in the south-western corner of Tenerife. My base was the long white building at the top right of the vistas in this slide show (below).

On the ascent, as so often happens if and when it does, a suitably pale-looking lizard emerged from rocks on one side of the track and posed nicely (below). This looked different from the Tenerife Lizards (Gallotia galloti) I had observed in April. It matches the illustration of Gallotia intermedia in my Collins field guide sufficiently well for me to count it as my trip quest, unless I am corrected by suitably qualified sources who state their own credentials in doing so. There are said to be around 100 individuals in this locality, compared to 500 in the north-west, and the landscape they inhabit is vast. The main threat to their survival is predation by feral cats especially, and rats; hence they try to keep out of harm’s way in inaccessible places.

Though once widespread, this Tenerife endemic was thought to be extinct before being re-discovered in 1996. Through the present century it it has been estimated there may be 40 isolated populations in the north-western distribution area along 9km of coast. Numbers are increasing due to control of introduced mammals, but the current range is only 5% of the potential habitat. The species is still listed in Spain as being in danger of extinction. It is up to 15cm from snout to vent, with the tail about twice as long, the smallest of the Canary giant lizards. As my pictures show, the back is most usually light brown and spotted, with pale ocelli lower down that may be blue. In female and immature Gallotia galotti the back is ocellated too.

After that encounter I continued to climb ever upward. More lizards showed themselves at intervals, but none kept still. Away to the east stretched the Mirador (below), at least twice as high as where I was. It had become apparent as soon as I set out that to find lizards from my base on those precipitous slopes would be impossible. The only way up is the one I was now treading, and it is a long trek. A popular pastime for the adventurous is to go to the summit at sunset. My mind boggles at how they get down again unscathed in the dark.

At the top I headed southward into a high plateau of arid and rocky habitat (pictured above). Above everything always loomed the Mirador. Guaza’s origin was volcanic and there are extensive lava flows here. The landscape was spectacular and uplifting to walk in, but more of the mere 100 lizards I was searching for might be anywhere. I concluded the most likely place to encounter Gallotia intermedia is therefore on the ascent.

Between my base and the scheduled protected area of Guaza lies marginal land that appears to cater for the marginalised, and so was unsuitable for walking as well. This is not the tourist end of town. It is dotted with rough sleeper’s tents and rough shelters, and fringed with lines of the casually parked motor homes of their owners more affluent class of loafer. It is also very suitable lizard habitat and there were more encounters there as I headed out and back. But the individual in this next picture, with an ocellated back, is just not right for a Tenerife Speckled, even should they occur that low down.

The next day I did pretty much the same again. Having resolved not to climb to the top at first, in the event there was nothing else to do. But having spent time food shopping and exploring the area around my base, the day had warmed up when I got out to Guaza and I encountered very little. So on 21st I was careful to re-visit during the optimum time window as the day warms up of 10am to noon, stayed on the lower part of the trail and was rewarded with many more active lizards. These were all Gallotia galloti (pictured below), the male being typical of very dark-toned, almost black southern Tenerife variants.

I had been lucky to connect with my trip quest on day one, but that was not be repeated. For myself there is nothing more fulfilling than going somewhere wild and remote, completely alone and self-locating something as exclusive as this particular lizard. Like the Harlequin Ducks at Laxárdalur in Iceland 12 months ago, this may take some ousting as my best wildlife experience of the year. The bottom line is … I did it.

Footnote: There appears to be ambiguity over the area designated as Montaña de Guaza, Some sources name what I have called the Mirador as Guaza, but in the context of this post it was convenient to separate the two.

The far south of Spain offers the opportunity to observe species on the northern edge of their range that do not occur elsewhere in Europe. To record some of these colonists I joined a group tour by the short-haul butterfly and orchid specialist Mariposa (see here), that is operated by David Moore and Jon Dunn with a network of national guides. This post will present my personal highlights, meaning what was new, different or evolved.

Common Tiger Blue

Just to the west of Retamar, near Cabo de Gata lies an unprepossessing piece of coastal wasteland that holds plentiful wild Jujuba bushes (Ziziphus lotus), a deciduous shrub of arid Mediterranean regions also known as “Christ’s Thorn”. The trip target CTB only occurs in places where it co-exists with this foodplant, and is very localised in this part of Spain. To reach the site we travelled through even less attractive landscapes obliterated as far as the eye could see in every direction by green houses. I had not seen such mass factory farming of fruit and vegetables before, and was quite taken aback. The only structures that here and there rose above endless expanses of plastic sheeting stretched across sometimes quite ramshackle frames were as bleak and functional apartment blocks. Coastal Andalucía, one of the driest zones of Iberia, is not a visually pleasing environment.

We arrived at our destination on Friday (1st) beneath deeply overcast skies but that would not apparently be an issue. This tiny butterfly would still be active we were told, and less inclined to move around much. Indeed the group soon located some 20 – 30 specimens. Flying from April through to September, these are said to be difficult to track when fully active, so we were indeed viewing them in easier conditions. There is a Little Tiger Blue in the Balkan region and a third species that is confined to north Africa, but these are very difficult to separate on appearance in the field. The male top side is violet blue, and females unsurprisingly brown.

Desert Orange Tip

Things had not been so straightforward with the tour’s first target. A day earlier (30th) we were taken to what was described as Europe’s best DOT site; a steep, land-filled former rubbish tip near the coastal town of Castell de Ferro. And having connected only badly we went back on 1st before heading further east to Cabo de Gata. On both occasions I was the first to call the butterfly, and my picture (below) was the only one gained by any group member. Indeed it may have been the single individual present, though many more DOT are said to migrate here by the autumn, attracted by the exclusive foodplant Caper (Capparis spinosa).

European distribution is tightly linked to the presence of that larval host, which in Iberia is restricted to hot, rocky places and very patchy. In my experience, always hyperactive Orange Tips cannot be converted quickly. It may require a whole day or several attempts to acquire good pictorial records of settled butterflies. That issue is compounded by the unsafe gradient of this particular site, since observers other than qualified mountain goats must stick to the main track that runs through it, wait for butterflies to come to them and hope they settle. Whether or not the heat-adapted, arid zone DOT might survive the winter here depends on local temperatures, and numbers in spring typically vary from year to year.

Sooty Orange Tip was also on the tour wish list, being cited as possible at several places we visited, but we didn’t find any. My impression was there are no predictable sites, and you just have to be lucky. Even then, finding settled subjects and gaining pictorial records must be quite difficult and random.

Aetherie and Spanish Fritillaries

On Saturday (2nd) we relocated inland to a base just outside the town of Antequera. The so often bleak, industrialised south coast was now left behind, and we were at a gateway to scenic and uplifting montane habitat that contained possibly the tour’s two top prizes. These are described as being amongst Europe’s rarest Fritillaries, being more widespread though still difficult to find in north-west Africa. Both have a foothold in Andalucía, and there is also a small population of the first in Sicily.

There are several clusters of the highly localised Aetherie Fritillary (pictured above) in the region, and the one we were taken to on Sunday (4th) was a stretch of wild flower-rich roadside that was discovered two years ago by one of Mariposa’s own surveyors. The 2025 tour group connected with small numbers there, but on this day our guides estimated there could be more than 100 individuals present. In appearance the species (see here) possibly most closely resembles the more familiar Glanville Fritillary. It flies in April and May.

A day later we visited what was for me the tour’s most spectacular location, Alto de Hondenero where there is a mirador (viewpoint) and car park at the top of a long and in places quite rough track. I would only have attempted the ascent in a four wheel drive, but our guides were practiced at getting the tour minibuses up there. A downhill walk onward then brought us to a hotspot for Spanish Fritillary (see here). That quite stunning item is single brooded in April and May, and is very loyal to established territories.

The constraint with this butterfly is it only flies in temperatures above 21 deg C, which makes locating it difficult at the altitude it also favours. The specimen in the top pictures (above) was netted and jarred by our (licensed) guide then released when the sun went in again so it would be unlikely to fly off straight away. The species is similar in appearance to Marsh Fritillary, though more boldly and attractively marked. The lower row includes an example (right) of the Iberian race beckeri of the latter, for comparison.

Provence Hairstreak

The failure in butterfly terms of my solo trip to Malaga in March 2024 (see here) has rankled ever since. Back then, hoping to self-find the early-flying PH and some other regional specialties, I instead spent three days largely on my back or the bog in a hotel room battling the attentions of El Montezuma; and weather conditions outside were hardly conducive to my quest either. Compensating for this was the prime motivation for, against my usual disinclination joining a group tour offering some of the same species.

As we were leaving Alto de Hondonero one of the group indeed found an elderly PH, it being the very end of their flight season. In pristine condition this curious species, one of Europe’s earliest flying butterflies, is said to resemble a fusion of Green Hairstreak and Small Copper (see here). When the opportunity arose I was desperate to obtain the above picture, faded as the specimen is. It represents the lifting of a lot of frustration for me, and in the event provided a tremendous release.

Other butterflies:

Three Blues of interest to my trip agenda were observed in good numbers. Like this post’s lead items, the diminutive Lorquin’s Blue occurs only very locally in parts of south-west Iberia, the main populations being in northern Morocco and Algeria. I had recorded it once before in Portugal in 2014. Single brooded in April and May, the species favours warm, dry, wildflower rich limestone grassland such as Alto de Hondenero. It is described as the regional equivalent of the familiar Small Blue. Those two species do not overlap in their range and share the same foodplant, Kidney Vetch.

I had observed the Anatolian sub-species of Black-eyed Blue before in Turkey in 2019, but not the butterfly listed in Collins until now. The latter ranges across most of the Iberian peninsula and southern France, as well as far north-western Africa, sharing the same flight period and habitat with Lorquin’s. The unf shows an arc of large, dark spots and both wings have pale submarginal markings. The male upper side is a bright, reflective but rather slaty blue; while females are brown above with varying amounts of blue, and lack the orange spots of other species in this family. 

At Parque Eόlico Padul, another Spanish Fritillary hotspot, on Saturday (3rd) one of the few butterflies on the wing in overcast conditions was Panoptes Blue. This further small item inhabits dry, scrubby places across much of Iberia but not elsewhere in Europe. It flies low to the ground and seldom far from adopted patches from April to June, with a second brood in July and August. The food plant is Thyme. I had self-found it previously in Portugal in 2014.

Something I wanted to do on this tour was to add images to the Rn’S gallery, under expert guidance, of Green-striped White, Western and Portuguese Dappled Whites. That triple aim was indeed realised (pictured below).

Of these quite similar Pieridae (the same group as the more familiar Bath White) the first two are fairly common and widespread in the Iberian region, but I had just one previous, quite poor picture of GSW from Portugal in 2014. I recorded the separated Eastern species of Dappled White in Greece in 2019. The lifer PDW (see here), a markedly smaller butterfly than Western that flies only in April and May, is highly localised and difficult to find. Several sub-species are described across its range from north Africa through the Iberian peninsular, southern France, into north and central Italy.

Other butterflies recorded again on the tour have already featured in this journal, either from Portugal at the bottom end of the trip reports tab, or the south of France in various posts that regularly attract referrals. The full species list this time (with lifers* in bold) was: (Swallowtail), (Iberian Scarce Swallowtail var feisthamelii), Spanish Festoon, Black-veined White, Large White, Small White, Bath White, Western Dappled White*, Portuguese Dappled White*, Green-striped White, (Wood White), Provence Orange Tip, Desert Orange Tip*, (Berger’s Clouded Yellow), Clouded Yellow, Cleopatra, (Blue-spot Hairstreak), Provence Hairstreak*, Small Copper, Long-tailed Blue, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Common Tiger Blue*, Holly Blue, Lorquin’s Blue, Black-eyed Blue*, Panoptes Blue, Southern Brown Argus, (Chapman’s Blue), Adonis Blue, Southern Common Blue (f celina), Monarch, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Knapweed Fritillary, Aetherie Fritillary*, Spanish Fritillary*, Marsh Fritillary (race beckeri), Western Marbled White, Spanish Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Spanish Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Speckled Wood (ssp aegeria), (Wall Brown), Rosy Grizzled Skipper, (Red Underwing Skipper), Sage Skipper, Mallow Skipper, False Mallow Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, Small Skipper – total 43 + (8 observed by other group members but not myself).