A selection of trip reports

This is a report on the second of two butterfly-watching weeks led by Graham and Theresa Thompson of Massif Nature Holidays in 2008, situated in the Auvergne region of central France (a large part of the Massif Central), and which took place between the 30^th July and 5^th of August 2008. We amassed a satisfying 78 species of butterfly (full list available on request).

On the first full day we undertook a walk in the vicinity of our base at Novacelles. Following a rather wet spring season, some species that we would normally expect to see in profusion were conspicuous by their absence. However, a sunny trackside bank began to show promise, as the first emerging Gatekeeper butterflies danced back and forth, along with a few meadow Browns. Then, in a sunny, sheltered woodland clearing, we were delighted to see a splendid wildflower meadow that was clearly “alive” with butterflies and other insects. We found numerous Map, Pearly Heath, Scarce Copper, Purple-shot Copper, and Spotted Fritillary butterflies amongst them. And sat on a tree-leaf at the edge was a White-letter Hairstreak, a species never particularly easy to see. In the evening we again did the first section of our morning walk, and discovered a number of male Mazarine Blue butterflies to make for a splendid finale to our first full day.

The next day, we drove up to the pastures of the Col de Supeyres in the Forez Mountains (40 minutes away). My favourite roadside ditches – sheltered and normally ful of flowers and butterflies – had been dug out in the previous few days, much to my disappointment. However, on a flowery slope just adjacent to the car park, which included the beautiful pink Dianthus superbus, we were treated to a tremendous display of butterflies that included Tufted Marbled Skipper, Essex Skipper, Large Skipper, Wood White, Meadow Fritillary, Heath Fritillary, Purple-edged Copper and Idas Blue. A short roadside walk later and we had amassed more species for our list: Dark Green Fritillary, Niobe Fritillary, Marbled Fritillary, Lesser Marbled Fritillary, Titania’s Fritillary, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Large Ringlet, Arran Brown, Bright-eyed Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Swallowtail (egg-laying on Mountain Fennel) and Small Heath. Descending to a splendid peat bog, we had hoped to find Cranberry Fritillary, but were to be disappointed (there were, until recently, many sites where this splendid little butterfly was found, but sadly they have been overgrazed in the last few summers, resulting in the loss of the nectar-bearing plants that the adult butterflies have to visit frequently). However, we did add to our list with Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Silver-spotted Skipper, both species frequenting the flowers of Marsh Thistle.

The following morning, continuous rainfall dictated that we should go searching for Salamanders in a splendid local Silver Fir woodland. A stroll that brought us lots of fungi, Creeping Ladies’ Tresses and both Common and Pool Frogs, but not our main target was aborted due to the rain becoming a thunderstorm. In the evening, we glimpsed our two resident Eagle Owls as they flew from their cliff roost sites.

The next day we headed off to the banks of the River Allier, but en route we stopped off at a woodland pool I’d wanted to check for years. Situated on the edge of a Fir wood, it seemed an ideal spot for Salamander to breed in. We were not surprised to find at least 4 half-grown larvae, and an abundance of other animal life. Continuing on to the riverside, our first target was a bird – the European Bee-eater. At a splendid location we counted at least 10 pairs visiting their nest-holes in a sandbank. Suddenly, alarmed birds alerted us to something overhead – the spectacle of a pale-phase Booted Eagle circling with a Common Buzzard. This was soon to become even better – a Honey Buzzard joined them, and for a few minutes we were totally mesmerised as they soared above us! Butterflies were not in abundance here – the newly-cut meadow was virtually flowerless, and the Bee-eaters were also taking their toll- but never-the-less we saw Mallow Skipper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Clouded Yellow, and Great Banded Grayling. Then, a roadside bank with much Bramble in flower had us stopping rapidly – another White-letter Hairstreak, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Brimstone, Sooty Copper and Small Copper were present, amongst others. We finally got to our destination, but a cloudy sky did us no favours. We were expecting to see Tree Grayling and Black Satyr, but it was not to be. We did find Lulworth Skipper, Wall and Marbled White, which were great of course, but little else. We decided to retrace our steps, and search for hotspots roadside. We travelled 200 metres before the sun reappeared, and a field full of Lucerne caught our eye. Wow! There were masses of butterflies, including Provençal Short-tailed Blue, Violet Fritillary, Comma, Clouded Yellow, Pale/Berger’s Clouded Yellow, and Mazarine Blue. Large Cone-head Bush-cricket and a mating pair of Orange-spotted Emerald dragonfly were super bonuses!

A local day (we’d decided to alternate travel days of about 1 hour’s drive each way with very short drives/local walks) began with a 10-minute drive down to the River Dore. Two Little Owls were perched on farm buildings as we descended. At the river, Golden Orioles were singing, but not seen. Despite the overcast conditions, numerous Dingy Skippers were found to add to our list, and a splendid male Moustached Darter posed for photographs. Unfortunately a super Gentle Hawker Boyeria Irene did not remain still for long, but we did obtain super views. An immature Goshawk gave decent views too – a bird that is always great to see. Then the sun appeared. As if by magic, so did the butterflies – Mallow Skipper, Sooty Copper, Painted Lady and Peacock amongst them. In the afternoon we headed off to a splendid ancient woodland, consisting manly of Silver Fir trees, but with wide rides teeming with flowers… and butterflies of course. A Purple Emperor took off from the ground at the car park as we arrived! There were many Green-veined White butterflies, all beautifully-fresh, whereas a single Black-veined White was rather worn, no surprise as the species had been coming to the end of its flight season for a few weeks. In similar condition were Piedmont Ringlets, the first of the local Erebia species to emerge locally. We came across more species that we had already encountered on our few outings thus far – Map, Small Skipper, Marbled White etc, but soon started to find additions that we’d been hoping for, in the form of High Brown Fritillary, Southern White Admiral, White Admiral, and Lesser Purple Emperor. A streamside clearing with masses of flowering Meadowsweet had many Lesser Marbled Fritillaries, clearly enjoying the abundance of the species’ larval foodplant. A roadside walk brought us super views of a Swallowtail taking nectar from Purple Lettuce, plus a single, worn Titania’s Fritillary (at a location I’d never seen them at previously) and a super male Scarce Copper.

A free morning was followed by another local trip, this time to a deserted and now ruined village in the valley of the River Dolore, where we watched Purple Hairstreak butterflies at eye level, and found a Dewick’s Plusia moth. At the riverside there was a Lesser Purple Emperor that posed for photographs. The woodland rides had plenty of White Admiral butterflies, and upon emerging from the wood we had fleeting but satisfying views of a super male Cleopatra butterfly and 4 Honey Buzzards soaring overhead. We returned to base to find a female Spotted Fritillary in the garden.

For our penultimate day we headed down to the sun-drenched Limagne Plain, more specifically to an area of calcareous hills. The south-facing slopes are wine-growing sites, but the meadows, scrub and woodland areas are havens for wildlife. Here we strolled along tracks with sides adorned with wildflowers, and we found 39 species of butterfly, with the following additions to our list: Scarce Swallowtail, Berger’s Clouded Yellow, Glanville Fritillary, Lesser Woodland Grayling, Woodland Grayling, Long-tailed Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis Blue, Chapman’s Blue. The Red-belted Burnet moth Zygaena ephialtes was another nice find.

Finally we went to a spectacular basalt hill on the River Allier. After crossing an upland plateau we began the decent from 1200 metres, with a spectacular view of the Allier Gorge below us. A stop at a rocky roadside area brought us fine views of another spectacular Burnet Moth in the form of Zygaena carniolica, and butterflies again included Lesser Woodland Grayling, Woodland Grayling, Silver-spotted Skipper and Lulworth Skipper. On the top of the basaltic rock, with the sun beating down, we saw plenty of butterflies, including Black Satyr, Cinqfoil Skipper and Baton Blue, new additions to our list. But the heat quickly got the better of us, and so we dropped down to the riverbank (where just three weeks previously we’d found a colony of the Large Chequered Skipper Heteropterus morpheus, a new species for the department). The shade afforded by the Poplar trees was welcome relief, and we admired numerous Sooty Copper, Queen of Spain Fritillary and Marbled Fritillary butterflies visiting the flowers of Hemp Agrimony, and chased around trying to photograph Cinqfoil Skipper (we did eventually succeed!).

Another satisfying week of butterfly-watching, a number of species freshly emerged that we didn’t see on our previous trip (of a few weeks before), but no new species for the region this time!

Graham Thompson

An early-evening arrival of our guests prevented any outing on day 1, but on day 2 we began by undertaking some relaxing, slow-paced local walks. A meadow full of Green-winged Orchids (with a few Elder-flowered Orchids amongst them) kept us occupied for some time as we attempted to capture the beauty on photographs (see below). Then a visit to the ruined village of Issandolanges had us marvelling over a tremendous display of Early Purple Orchids, and a few Green Hairstreak butterflies around the Broom bushes delighted us further with their beauty. Riverside, a carpet of Alternate-leaved Golden-saxifrage was a delight to behold. A bit of rain later really made the river valley even more of a spectacle than usual, with clouds of mist rising and falling along its length. A visit to the Plain of Ambert was made so that we could marvel at the many hectares of wildflower meadows there, and the spectacular displays of Dame’s Violet riverside, with their amazing scent.

The following day we headed off to visit an area of multi-interest in a low-lying area in the Limagne Plain. Deposition of Eocene (40 to 36 million years ago) and Oligocene (36 to 25 m.y.a) material in Auvergne occurred in troughs and basins, and in this down-faulted region there are substantial deposits of multicoloured calcareous sediments. Our first stop was at a basalt-topped calcareous hill, with masses of orchids, and breeding birds that included Honey Buzzard, Melodious Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, and Corn Bunting. Large areas of beautiful Crimson Clover and Tassel Hyacinth greeted us as we stepped out of the vehicle. The first orchid that we came across was the ridiculously-named Dull Orchid Ophrys sulcata, in fact a rather splendid sight, many of them in a meadow with Green-winged Orchids. Then the main slope of the hill was reached, and immediately we were stunned by the sight of large number of Lady Orchids. These large, showy plants took centre stage, but closer inspection revealed that there were other species present: Early Spider, Man, Burnt-tipped, and Fly Orchids, and butterflies were very well represented by numerous Adonis Blues (their larval foodplant, Horseshoe Vetch, was everywhere).

Then we went on to a site just 5 minutes away with stunning red cliffs comprised of calcareous clays, and masses of Elder-flowered Orchids amongst the coppiced Downy Oak trees with a sparse understorey with scattered Hairy Greenweed. Wood Warblers and Bonelli’s Warblers sang just above our heads; seemingly oblivious to our presence and allowed super close views. In a clearing there were numerous Green-winged Orchids, including a couple with albino flowers – enabling us to clearly see the green stripes in the hood. And at a high point overlooking a wooded valley, we had fabulous views of a pair of Golden Orioles.

Then we moved on to another hillside, adorned with small vineyards (wine-growing has made a small but determined come-back in the region), plus flower-rich meadows, more coppiced oak woodlands and lovely views over the surrounding countryside. The latter had a multitude of White Helleborine, Sword-leaved Helleborine, Lady Orchid and even a few Woodcock Orchids, and a carpet of Solomon’s Seal. A splendid Green-underside Blue butterfly provided another sphere of interest – what a beautiful butterfly! And if that wasn’t enough, a Wryneck sang from a branch of a dead Elm tree – fabulous views (this particular bird remained faithful to its perch for weeks afterwards too)!

The next day was one for culture (at our guests’ request)! We visited the spectacular town of Le Puy-en-Velay, famous for its lace-making and green lentils. Our objectives were to visit the high points – the necks of ancient volcanoes – both for the spectacular views over the town and surrounding countryside and to see the monuments that are situated on top of them! But plants did not take a back seat, for the volcanic rocks have an interesting flora – we found Shining Cranesbill, Garden Chervil, Sweet Cicely, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, and Thick-leaved Stonecrop. Circling around the top of the rocks were numerous Crag Martins, Swifts and a few Alpine Swifts. On the way home we stopped to admire some beautifully-fresh Heath Spotted Orchids, and found lots of Petty Whin too.

Back to orchids the following day! We visited an area of widespread chalk and other calcareous deposits. Our first stop was an area of pine wood. On its edges there were Fly Orchid, Twayblade, and Sword-leaved Helleborine, but it was the area under the trees that would prove to be most promising – lots of Lady Orchids, which are common throughout the region, and amongst them the relatively rare Military Orchid – superb! After spending some time admiring and photographing these, we stumbled across at least 2 Chequered Skipper butterflies – what beauties, rare in Britain, but quite common here. Then we ventured onto a small hilltop, where we found two kinds of Early Spider Orchid – Ophrys aranifera and O. araneola – lots of Pyramidal Orchids, yet more Lady Orchids, White Rockrose, and the spectacular remains of the previous year’s Large Carline Thistle Carlina acanthifolius. We also observed Montague’s Harriers flying over the cornfields below us and heard numerous Quail that were secreted there.

We lunched sitting next to the tiny River (Couze) Pavin in one of France’s most beautiful villages, where we again saw Bonelli’s Warbler, and Dipper too. Then we made a brief stop at a spectacular mineral deposition at another (hillside) source of saline water, aptly names “la Tête de la Lion” (photo). Here we found the Fly Honeysuckle in flower. A little further along the road, a spectacular cliff was adorned with St. Bernard’s Lily, and its base with White Rockrose, and a splendid array of broomrapes, including the spectacular Amethyst Broomrape. We continued on to an area with a very complex geology (mudslides, volcanic debris, lava flows, and fluvial sands and gravels) and thus a mixture of substrates resulting in a varied flora and fauna (notably on the dry, south-facing grassland slopes). There are troglodyte caves too, initially dug by Homo habilis over 2 million years ago, but more recently (19th century) used by wine-growers (one dwelling was inhabited until 1945); it has been designated a Natura 2000 site, and commands super views across much of the region. Here we saw more unusual plants, including Henbane and Musk Storksbill, and carpets of White Rockrose.

On the way home, we stopped firstly at one of the many fields full of Wild Daffodil, and then at a streamside meadow to admire a spectacular display of hundreds of Broad-leaved marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza majalis) plus Viper’s-grass Scorzonera humilis and Cotton-grass. What a sight!

A morning free was followed by an afternoon visiting a local etang, the wetland habitat suiting the weather – overcast with slight rain. The brilliant white flowers of Aconite-leaved Buttercup provided a super lakeside display and contrast wit the dull conditions, and an adjacent wet meadow had an abundance of Marsh Violet and Marsh Lousewort in flower, with Globeflower and Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid just emerging.

The next day we drove to the volcanoes in the Chaine des Puys near Clermont Ferrand. This spectacular area has been designated as a Regional Park (Parc des Volcans). The spectacular scenery here was the result of frequent different periods of activity in the Tertiary and Quaternary eras, but with the most recent eruptions being just 6000 years ago. We began by driving to the top of the largest volcano, the famous Pûy de Dome (which even affords the department its name), so that we could set the scene by taking in the spectacular view of the chain of other volcanoes stretching away both north and south of our position. We also saw clumps of Oxlip, growing right at the summit! We then descended and went wandering around the base of another spectacular volcano, shrouded in Beech woodland with fresh, lime-green foliage, with a spectacularly-lush understorey that includes Cardamine heptaphylla, Scilla liliohyacinthus, Lily-of-the-Valley Convallaria majalis, Irish Spurge Euphorbia hyberna, Herb Paris Paris quadrifolia, Solomon’s Seal Polygonatum multiflorum, Whirled Solomon’s Seal P. verticillatum, Spurge Laurel Daphne laureola, Mezereon Daphne mezereum. Sadly, the majority of flowers had already finished or were yet to appear. We did find Bird’s-nest Orchid Neottia nidus-avis just beginning to flower. We then went on to the crater of a breeched volcano where Red Pasque Flower Pulsatilla rubra was flourishing in clearings between Juniper Juniperus communis bushes. Volcanic bombs and cinders abound here too, and add more interest, whilst the sight of a Black Woodpecker flying over our heads was not unexpected.

That was it, before we knew it the week was over. Masses of wonderful plants seen (most don’t even get a mention here), fantastic scenery, and lots of birds and butterflies too – and another group of very satisfied customers.