Butterflies from Italy

[moloch]

My wife, younger daughter and I are at the end of a 3 week holiday to Italy. It has been lots of fun and we have seen so many interesting things. At the moment, we are staying in Amalfi. This is my favourite place in Italy and it would have to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The coastline is rugged and the little town of Amalfi is just stunning with interesting, old buildings of such a distinctive style. I will start with town and habitat shots to give a feel for the area.

Amalfi
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi2_zps0e6a2287.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi3a_zps10fd0038.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Amalfi19a_zpsd63f2e19.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Amalfi20_zps2bc8861c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi10a_zpsfa2c532a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi16_zpse5ef4bbc.jpg


The Amalfi Coast:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Sentierodeglidei5_zps1f274534.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi12_zpsb42d34b6.jpg

[moloch]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi13_zps16a656dc.jpg

Ravello is a village high above Amalfi. We walked there on a few occasions. It is great exercise with several hundred steps up the steep hillside. The views from the top were superb.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/AlexiaHotelRufolo_zps1e89a5d6.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Ravello1_zps26b0dcbf.jpg

The Amalfi area has an excellent trail system. I walked these daily especially when my wife and daughter decided to shop.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi17_zps672d4232.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/amalfi18a_zpsee97f9d7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Sentierodeglidei9_zps2e2c792e.jpg

Southern Comma (Polygonia egea): I saw this interesting small nymphalid only twice.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/SouthernCommaPolygoniaegea2_zpsa25a0b74.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/SouthernCommaPolygoniaegea1_zpsed747110.jpg

[moloch]

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui): This was a common species.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/PaintedLady_zpsf927019b.jpg

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia): One of the commonest butterflies at the moment. They sometimes were attracted in large numbers to a particular flower as is obvious in one of the shots below.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Fritillary2_zps7af5e920.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Fritillary3_zpsa9d3912c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Fritillary4_zps0404d65a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Silver-washedFritillaryArgynnispaphia1_zpsac2a2f92.jpg

... females were darker and more heavily spotted than the males.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Fritillary1_zpsfa83dcdc.jpg


Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta): Not common but I saw it a few times.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/SouthernWhiteAdmiral3_zps1caf5284.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/SouthernWhiteAdmiral1_zps4e45670a.jpg

[moloch]

Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius): This is my new favourite butterfly. They were pugnacious creatures that chased any other large butterfly that approached the dead trees where they stood guard. They would even fly at my face if I walked within a couple of meters of their perches.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Two-tailedPasha15a_zpse13859ba.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Two-tailedPasha14_zpsc3d3e263.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Two-tailedPasha16_zps72b44ee3.jpg


Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera): only a few seen
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/satyrinae1_zps3fe24545.jpg

Wall Browns (Lasiommata megera): A common small satyrinae.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/satyrinae1a_zps3c6061ec.jpg


Lesser Woodland Grayling (Hipparchia genava): common on this trip.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/satyrinae2_zpsab65315f.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/satyrinae5_zpse588ad2e.jpg

... no! This female adopted this position when pursued by an amorous male.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/satyrinae2a_zps6f93e2b0.jpg

[moloch]

Tree Greyling (Hipparchia statilinus): A very common species in the hills.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/TreeGTreeGraylingHipparchiastatilinus1_zpsc7409a12 .jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/TreeGraylingHipparchiastatilinus2_zps4283aeec.jpg


Greyling (Hipparchia semele)?: I saw this species a few times. It was not as common as the above two Greylings.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/satyrinae4_zps9072a856.jpg


Clouded Yellow (Coleus crocea): A few were seen every day.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/CloudedYellowColeuscrocea3_zps10e7872e.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/CloudedYellowColeuscrocea2_zps37da2d3c.jpg


Berger's Clouded Yellows (Coleus facariensis)?: Only seen a couple of times.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/BergersCloudedYellowsCfacariensis1_zps53aa624b.jpg

Bath Whites (Pontia edusa): Seen a few times.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/BathWhitesPontiaedusa3_zps134b2fbc.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/BathWhitesPontiaedusa2_zpsb22d29d4.jpg

[moloch]

Small White (Pieris rapae)?: This butterfly was smaller than the species illustrated below.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WhitePierissp_zps00427021.jpg

Large White (Pieris brassicae): As the name implies, this was a large Pieris. I saw them several times.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WhitePierissp2_zps36ecc71b.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WhitePierissp3_zps3171410e.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WhitePierissp4_zpsd2ddd4c9.jpg


Common Blues (Polyommatus icarus)?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/blue1_zps3a383f6e.jpg

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeus): I only found one of these pretty lycaenids.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/SmallCopperLycaenaphlaeus1_zpsf5892c34.jpg


Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)?: Only a few were encountered.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/skipper1_zps2d6844b7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/skipper2_zpsa5da3b03.jpg

[moloch]

Wall Geckos (Tarentola mauritanica): These were large, day-active geckos. I usually found them on the shaded sides of rock walls.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/MoorishGecko1_zps340f25e5.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/MoorishGecko2_zps3cbda669.jpg

I think that these are Italian Wall Lizards (Podarcis sicula) although Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis) may also be possible. They certainly were variable in appearance. Some were brown, others green. Some were faintly marked, others had barring and others still had stripes.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WallLizard1_zpscb1243aa.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/Walllizard11_zps0c806a3c.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WallLizard8_zpsd4ea7db9.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WallLizard5_zps3fcbd2e4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WallLizard3_zps3764ed13.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WallLizard17_zpseae0cedc.jpg

[moloch]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WallLizard15_zpsd13bbc04.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/wallLizard4_zps29ef9678.jpg

Western Whip Snake (Hierophis viridiflavus): I saw these snakes daily. They were fast and no doubt would capture the wall lizards as prey. They defend themselves with vigour and my hands were bleeding once I finished photographing these snakes. The first shot below was of a juvenile and the second was of an adult.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WesternWhipSnakeHierophisviridiflavus2_zpsda556a0e .jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WesternWhipSnakeHierophisviridiflavus1_zps41920063 .jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WesternWhipSnakeHierophisviridiflavus3_zps14892868 .jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WesternWhipSnakeHierophisviridiflavus4_zps7febb776 .jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Italy%202013/Amalfi/WesternWhipSnakeHierophisviridiflavus5_zps605f41d8 .jpg

[Painted Jezebel]

Nice series of butts, David.

I think I must get an up to date European book, all the scientific names seem to have changed!!! I think all your '?' are correct, though your Grayling may be a Southern Grayling, they are very similar and appear to have a cross-over point near where you were.

I love the Two-Tailed Pasha. It was a butterfly I always wanted to see when I visited my cousins in the south of France, but never managed to, although I regularly found its foodplant, Arbutus unedo, in the area I was staying in.

[moloch]

Thanks, Les, for the information.

I don't know if the names that I use are accurate but I refer to: http://www.leps.it/

The Pasha was an excellent species. It had a strange but beautiful pattern and was an interesting one to watch as it chased other butterflies or sailed at high speed around the forest canopy.

[Green Imperial]

The nicest thing about ButterflyCircle is we get to meet different people here! People from all walks of life, people of different interest/ likes and people share the kind of butterfly they have in their country!!

Nice series of photos, David!