Butterflies in the Spring - Part 2
- Written by David Rees
Look out in spring for the Swallowtail butterfly with its yellow colouring and preference for cool over-grown areas. You may be able to spot it feeding from the flowering Lantana that is so common in the Algarve. It differs from the Scarce Swallowtail in that it is a slightly richer yellow and prefers slightly cooler areas.
Also attracted to the Lantana will be the Peacock with its brightly coloured ‘eyes’ used to frighten off predators, the Red Admiral with its warning colours of red and black, the Painted Lady which has flown over from Africa, and the Small Tortoiseshell. They will often choose the common red and orange variety of Lantana before the yellow, pink or white types. In fact, butterfly colour vision is much better than ours – they can see ultra-violet as well as the spectrum of colours. Indeed, their physiology is amazing. Their antennae for example are something which we normally associate with feeling and touching are used to smell out their nectar and larval food plants. Another clever adaptation is that before uncoiling its considerable length of proboscis to check the quality of this year’s nectar, they tend to put their foot in it – literally!
Out in the natural areas along the coast, in amongst the cistus and wild French lavender can be seen the Common Blue (but do not be confused by the brown-coloured female), the Small Copper with its chocolate coloured wings dripping in liquid copper, and the Lang’s Short-tailed Blue which often hides on silver coloured plants which match its own colour.
As you move into the grassland areas, you will come across the ‘Brown’ group of butterflies. Look for the heavy flapping of the Meadow Brown, the brighter orange of the Gatekeeper as it rests on the dried grass stems, and the Small Heath – a small plain brown butterfly. You might well see the Marbled White, a butterfly that lays its eggs by dropping them like bombs onto the grassland areas.
On the dry path on your way to woodland, you might disturb the Wall Brown as it lays sunning itself, or, if you look closely, the Grizzled Skipper forever keeping five paces ahead of you. The Skippers are generally very small and are often mistaken for moths. The Grizzled Skipper is easy to identify, but this is one family for which I often use a net to get a closer look. Sometimes the differences are minute – a spot that is different here or there, or a differently coloured club at the end of the antennae.
On the edge of woodland you are sure to spot the Speckled Wood flitting in and out of the sunbeams. You might well see a pair performing an aerial dog-fight in which two males spiral upwards madly, each in contention for a particular sunny spot in the glade.
Alternatively, you might discover a wetter area and see the beautiful Marsh Fritillary flying and gliding above the scabious. Otherwise, head a little inland to the foothills where you can start the more difficult task of spotting the Hairstreaks. Although the Hairstreaks are occasionally encountered feeding in the clearings of woodland, they mostly spend their time resting in tree tops. They can sometimes be spotted as they flit about the uppermost branches. With a bit of luck, a Grayling, perhaps the enormous Great-banded Grayling, will glide past before disappearing in front of your eyes as it settles on the tree bark and turns itself into another notch and shadow of the bark.
The butterfly will continue right up to the highest levels – the Foia area for example being quite rich in butterfly and plant life. Indeed, the higher areas tend to have more butterflies during the summer than can be found on the coast where the temperatures are those few degrees higher.
Butterfly watching is really about keeping your eyes open – but highly rewarding as you will soon discover if you embark on this fascinating hobby. Wherever you are, in the hills where the Hairstreaks live, wandering down the cliff path to the beach or walking through the garden, there are sure to be butterflies about. If you are not so keen to go out hunting for the butterflies, then use the planting guide so that the butterflies will come to you to brighten the garden with their wonderful colours.
PLANTS FOR BUTTERFLIES
Lantana camara
Buddleia davidii
Pittosporum tobria
Cestrum parqui
Arbutus unedo
Cinararia species
Artemesis species
Thistle family
Chrysanthemum frutescens
Holly (Ilex)
Ivy (Hedra)
Fennell
Lavender (Lavendula)
Areas of wild flowers or grasses
By David Rees
