The Pyrenees French & Spanish A Greentours Natural History Holiday 10th to 23rd June 2013 Led by Paul Cardy Trip Report and Systematic Lists by Paul Cardy Day 1 Monday 10th June Arrival and Transfer to Cerdagne Having driven from the south western Alps, and having arrived in Toulouse the previous evening, I met the group at the airport in the morning. After loading the mini-bus, and having negotiated the complex road system around Toulouse, soon we were on the motorway and heading south towards Foix. Black Kite soared overhead, White Stork was seen, and a Montagu’s Harrier soared over arable fields. Once past Foix we stopped at a lakeside for a first picnic, of baguette, fruit, juice, etc. Here was Great Spotted Woodpecker, and Mandarin was added to the bird list! After Ax-les-Thermes the scenery became ever more interesting as we wound our way up to the Col de Puymorens. The road over the col was rather busier than usual today as the eponymous tunnel below it was closed for several months of repair work. Our first botanical stop was made for a slope sporting much fine Pyrenean Lily, an early highlight. This really was in superb flower today and although much was out of reach there were some fine examples within easy reach for photography. Also here was Silene rupestris. At the col itself, the slopes around still sporting much snow in this very atypical season, the rather late flora had some fine Pulsatilla vernalis and Trumpet Gentians. White flowers were a feature, with Ranunculus kuepferi and Anemone nemorosa alongside the pasque flowers. Very special up here, and seen at several other sites still in fine flower this year, was Narcissus pallidiflorus. A Hobby flying over was perhaps a surprising record up here, and Citril Finches and Crossbills were seen. Roadside cliffs had Rock Soapwort and Saxifraga paniculata, and Elder-flowered Orchids became common. A highlight was a superb show of very many Tulipa australis. Stopping to admire a particularly great display of the tulips we also found Early Purple Orchids, and the endemic Medicago suffruticosa. Here were two Duke of Burgundys. Now in the Parc Naturel Régional des Pyrénées Catalanes, a fascinating route down into the valley took us through the small town of Bourg Madame, before we took a minor road to the village of Valcebollere, our base for the first Greentours Natural History Holidays www.greentours.co.uk 1 three nights. Arable fields were full of Cornflowers, and a striking vetch in the area was Vicia pannonica. Day 2 Tuesday 11th June Segre Gorge, Err-Puigmal, Mt.Louis This morning we drove towards Segre Gorge. The meadows near the car park had large yellow Adonis aestivalis and there was much Buglossoides arvensis. Red-backed Shrike was here. We set out on foot and the rest of the morning was spent walking along the beautiful wooded, mainly granite, gorge. At almost the furthest point I was very pleased to find Saxifraga media in flower, and on the return walk a few more. Also in flower was Saxifraga pubescens. The stately Molopospermum peloponnesiacum was a feature of the cliffs, collected in the area as a salad vegetable. Swallowwort, Pulmonaria angustifolia, Thesium alpinum, Asarina procumbens, and Viola biflora were among the many other plants. Primula latifolia was a highlight, and also on the rocks were Rock Soapwort, Cardamine resedifolia and quite a selection of stonecrops and houseleeks. Among the ferns were Asplenium septentrionale and Asplenium fontanum. Apollo was on the wing and a good find was a larva of the species. Moroccan Orange-tip was seen and a Camberwell Beauty was a butterfly highlight. Green Hairstreak and Adonis Blue were among the other butterflies. Two Peregrines were seen well but briefly along the cliffs. There was time to explore a little and a minor road took us up towards the small ski resort of Err- Puigmal. I set out the picnic at a well situated picnic table, amid fine scenery and forest in a very quiet valley. At the top of the valley the road was closed and the vegetation was only just waking up, the snow having only very recently gone. A short stop yielded a Lammergeier soaring over the ridge. Draba nemorosa and Saxifraga geranioides were in flower, the latter a local endemic. An interesting find here was the wood rush Luzula desvauxii. Red Squirrel was seen from the vehicle. A rocky meadow near Mont-Louis yielded some fine Pulsatilla rubra and at the same site were Senecio adonidifolius, Tephroseris helenitis, Moonwort, and Crested Lousewort. Impressive Euphorbia hyberna and Spring Gentians were at the last stop. The marshy slopes here had Marsh Valerian and several Broad-leaved Marsh Orchids. A good find was a lone plant of the eastern Pyrenean endemic umbellifer Endressia pyrenaica. We drove back via the Spanish enclave of Llivia, surrounded as it is by French territory. Those asleep in the vehicle who awoke once we were in Llivia were hard pressed to realise that we had entered Spain. Back in Valcebollere we enjoyed delicious dinner. Short-toed Eagle was seen in the village. Day 3 Wednesday 12th June Val d’Eyne A short drive from the hotel took us to the village of Eyne, from which the famous Val d’Eyne winds up to the ridge and the Spanish border, a renowned botanical area. Greentours Natural History Holidays www.greentours.co.uk 2 We spent all day walking slowly up the floriferous valley towards the Spanish border. Progress was intially slow as there was much to see. Lower down were meadows full of Poet’s Narcissus, and Thalictrum aquilegifolium just coming into bloom. Near the start of the track was a purple Oxytropis halleri. Blackcaps and Tree Pipits sang, and Great Spotted Woodpecker was here. Again the retarded season meant a rather different flora to that we usually see here, but we found many good things, with several important new species for us here. The strong vanilla scent of Pyrenean Broom filled the air, the cliffs above being extensively deep yellow with it. There were many Great Yellow Gentians in leaf, and Cowslips were still in flower. Ferns included Brittle Bladder Fern and Black Spleenwort. Entering coniferous woodland Alpenrose was commonly in leaf. Wet flushes had much Marsh Marigold, and the attractive Cardamine asarifolia in leaf. Meadow Saxifrage was numerous, and more unusual was again the endemic Saxifraga geranioides. Green Helleborines were a feature, Hepatica was in numerous, variously coloured, flower, and there was some very fine yellow Pulsatilla alpina. We continued our beautiful slow walk up the valley, adding Iberis sempervirens, Rock Redcurrant, and Alpine Honeysuckle. A feature here this year was Corydalis solida. I was very pleased to find the first few still in flower but it soon became apparent that there were vast numbers here this year. Crag Martins sped along the valley and several Griffons were in the air. In the conifers were Crested Tits, Coal Tits, and Goldcrests. The sun brought out a few butterflies, namely Orange-tip, Green-veined White, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Weaver’s Fritillary, Glanville Fritillary, and a Duke of Burgundy. The highlight however was a superb female Violet Copper, obviously freshly emerged. I was very excited to find this always special species here, at what is the extreme south-western limit of its now very fragmented range in much of Europe. This was also possibly a new site for the species. We admired it for some time. Lunch was eaten in shade or sun at a beautiful streamside spot where Rock Buntings were active among the boulders. Strolling up a little further the higher slopes revealed some simply superb things. Adonis pyreniaca was the real highlight, becoming ever more common as clumps of its large striking yellow blooms became ever more common. The local Plantago monosperma was a special find and there was a lone Gentiana pyrenaica. Trumpet Gentian was common on several slopes, and Gentiana brachyphylla was here too. Soldanella alpina was still in flower, Erysimum duriaei pyrenaicum was attractive, Primula integrifolia was in fine flower beside the wet runnels, and Pedicularis verticllata was a feature. A Chamois grazed on a nearby slope, and Marmots were typical of the habitat although introduced here in the Pyrenees. De Prunner’s Ringlet was seen and Angle Shades moth was found on the return walk. That evening we met for a first run through of the many plants we had already seen before moving on to a new area tomorrow. Greentours Natural History Holidays www.greentours.co.uk 3 Day 4 Thursday 13th June Andorra, Seu d’Urgell & La Guingeta Full of expectation for an interesting transfer day we loaded up the vehicle and set off through the attractive scenery and up again over the Col de Puymorens. We drove initially past crops full of arable weeds, especially Cornflowers, and fields of Poet’s Narcissus. Crossing again over the Col de Puymorens, and a little further across the border into Andorra we negotiated the horrendous small ski town and duty free centre of Pas de la Casa, and headed above it to fine alpine slopes. There were Alpine Pasque Flowers, and Narcissus-flowered Anemones on the roadsides. A short first stop yielded very many fine Crocus albiflorus, Oxlip, Soldanella alpina, Gentiana acaulis and Green Hairstreak. Again here the flora was rather different to usual. We had never seen crocuses here, usually louseworts are a feature. It was the next site that offered a fine flora, albeit again rather different from how it usually is at this season. The slopes of the Port d’Envalira were pink here and there with superb Androsace carnea, but there were only a couple of Gentiana pyrenaica in flower this year.