The Pyrenees French & Spanish A Greentours Natural History Holiday 11th to 24th June 2012 Led by Paul Cardy and Phil Benstead Daily report by Phil Benstead Day 1 Monday 11th June arrival and transfer to Valcebollere We all met up in the airport at Toulouse around midday. Installed in the vehicles we headed south towards the hills. By the time we stopped for lunch besides a river we had left the agricultural lowlands behind and the landscape was getting lumpier. A family group of redstart kept us entertained. We stopped again shortly after lunch to admire some roadside pyramidal orchids. The other side of the road produced a few ‘just-over’ man orchids. Thereafter short stops to examine roadside flora became the order of the day. It was mostly eyes-down stuff but we managed to notice a few raptors overhead including our first griffon vultures. Our first hillside stop provided a fanta stic view back down the valley and the slopes below us had a charming mix of yellow Pulsatilla alpina and red Rhododendron ferrugineum. Our next stop produced a fantastic pair of sand lizards, seeming very out of place to those of us used to seeing them in the northern lowlands. Also here were many common wall lizards. Phil found a superb green sawfly (later identified as Rhogogaster viridis) and Paul countered with a fantastic spider (green with a rhubarb-and-custard abdomen), which sadly remains unidentified. We came across a road bank covered in Dactylorhiza sambucina. A dry, rocky stop beside the railway produced a number of new orchid species including burnt - tip, greater butterfly and fragrant. St Bruno’s lily grew in abundance. The plant list was building all the while as Paul did his thing, the saxifrage here was particularly appreciated. The butterfly list got underway as the sun tried to shine through the clouds and we got nearer the hotel. Paul pointed out a dapper, red-and-black striped bug (Graphosoma italicum), which has a noticeable fondness for umbellifers. All too soon we arrived at Valcebollere (a charming mountain hamlet) and we were soon installed in comfortable rooms in the hotel and later were to be found enjoying a tasty dinner. Greentours Natural History Holidays www.greentours.co.uk 1 Day 2 Tuesday 12th June Val d’Eyne Phil nipped out for a pre-breakfast walk and was greeted by a chilly dawn but with a welcome blue sky overhead. The village produced many singing black redstarts and serins, as well as the familiar sounds of cuckoo, wren and blackcap. After punishing the breakfast buffet and taking on board the appropriate levels of caffeine we headed out to Val d’Eyne. We walked slowly up the track leading to the high pass, never threatening to actually conquer the high country but enjoyin g a streamside walk through the woodland nevertheless. On the way we pottered along, Paul was industriou s pointing out the many plants; apologies now by the way if the content of this daily report fails to convey appropriately the botanical experience that is part of travelling with the Cardy, but you were th ere so hopefully will recall it in all its magnificence! Phil meanwhile was trying to get to grips with sometimes elusive firecrests, crested tits and coal tits in the gloom of the pines. The curious w histle of the introduced alpine marmot was heard too higher up but we failed to locate the beast in question. At times botanists could be heard ‘ooohing and aaahing’ over the heady delights of plants such as Thalictrum aquilegifolium, fields of Narcissus poeticus and the tongue-twisting umbellifer Molopospermum peloponnesiacum. In time-honoured fashion there was much reverential kneeling, adjusting of tripods and clicking of shutters. Anne’s macro-contribution of the day was a curious ladybird (still to be identified...). Walking higher we passed rough, hairy woodsman and rather smoother-coated mountain cows until we finally came upon our target plant species Saxifraga geranoides. It remained sunny during our picnic but soon the clouds that had been threatening rain delivered a light shower and we tramped back. The sun was soon out again though and we reached the car park in time for Paul to identify the Oxytropis that had eluded him last year (halleri). Next up was a roadside stop to examine a wind-blown, rock-strewn meadow that was full of Pedicularis comosa, had some lovely robust specimens of moonwort, and best of all produced a new plant for the tour in the shape of the rather fine Pulsatilla rubra. Again there was the kneeling, the focussing... En route to our next site we stopped off in town to allow Anne to buy a raincoat and then we were off to a surprise location, a chance to have a quick peek up the Gorge de Segre and perhaps find Saxifraga media. This was a great place to end an already productive day. At the start we examined the many plants clinging to the cliff face and spotted a lovely moth (the lead belle). We walked steadily uphill and just as we were starting to give up hope Paul found the Saxifraga; a beautiful little plant and another new one for the tour. This delightful narrow gorge complete with a rushing stream screamed Lepidoptera; and sure enough despite the late hour and overcast conditions we started finding new things including tufted marbled skipper, olive skipper, Duke-of-Burgundy and geranium argus. At a nice rest-harrow (Ononis rotundifolia) we reluctantly turned for the van and home. A great first day in the field. In the evening the botanistas started the task of documenting their tour through the checklist process, work that would occupy many pleasant hours over the weeks to come. Greentours Natural History Holidays www.greentours.co.uk 2 Day 3 Wednesday 13th June Canigou We tried hard to get up the track to Canigou today but despite our best efforts we only managed to get halfway. The drive down the Tet valley and the start of the track was marvelous, several wonderful fortified towns were encountered but we failed to spot the famous yellow narrow - gauge train that haunts the valley. This road took us down to a low point of just 450 metres asl and our first stop at the base of the climb had a distinctly Mediterranean feel. Subalpine warblers were singing and Paul even managed to spot one. Our first Odonate, a bright blue Aeshna affinis hawked along the track. Not surprisingly we encountered huge numbers of new plants from the moment we got out of the vehicles and Paul was kept very busy. Just getting out of the car park involved a huge wave of new species including Lonicera etrusca and Cistus laurifolia. New butterflies made themselves apparent from the start of the climb too, low down we encountered our first Amanda’s and holly blues. As we climbed higher by car we added some lovely lepidoptera to the list. Paul found us a recently emerged female apollo which was widely photographed and looked fantastic. Piedmont and de Prunner’s ringlet appeared too and we found our first heath and knapweed fritillaries. Pulling off the road we set up the picnic and browsed. Amazingly whilst here we had a superb encounter with an adult lammergier. I think Hazel spotted it first and it just headed straight for our lunch stop and passed directly overhead just 30 metres above us. Although we were all eating at the time and none of us got our cameras on the subject it was breathtaking moment. After lunch we went a little higher before the downhill traffic put paid to our attempt to summit. With few passing places on this horrible dirt road , reversing back for the first vehicle we met was extremely unpleasant and we sensibly elected to head back down. We made numerous stops on the way though, adding to the botanical list with each stop. Paul stopped again in oak woodland to allow us to enjoy a few more different plants growing by the roadside. Next a quick stop by a small stream added brown trout to the trip list and Anne found us a nice female Calopteryx virgo. Later the sun came out and a few males began displaying. Sallying out from their streamside perches to show off their dazzling metallic colours. Also here a few new butterflies including our first meadow brown and southern white admiral. Our last stop was down in the main valley near the confluence of the Cady and Tet. No Odonates down here strangely but Anne rounded up a nice nymphal great green bush cricket before we headed for home. Day 4 Thursday 14th June over the pass to Andorra and on into Spain The big three nation transfer day arrived. Many of us were out and about in the village before breakfast, simply enjoying being out in the fresh air, or chasing grey wagtails about or trying to capture images of the many great-looking plants growing by the paths and wayside in even light before the sun rose over the ridge. After breakfast we loaded up and drove back over the Puymorens Pass and then headed for Andorra. An exciting new country ‘tick’ for over half the group, although the novelty wore off remarkably quickly! First up was the bravely-coloured ‘Lego’ ski town... Our first couple of stops offered great scenery though and plenty of new plants. A short stop yielded Pedicularis pyrenaica, Lychnis alpina, Bartsia alpina, Gentiana acaulis and the geometer moth Psodos quadrifaria. Greentours Natural History Holidays www.greentours.co.uk 3 Next up was a wander around the windy slopes of the Port d’Envalira plenty to look at in the turf here with stunning blue Gentiana pyrenaica, white Ranunculus kuepferi, purple Primula integrifolia, pretty Erigeron uniflorus was found in small numbers and the mats of creeping azalea were also new for the list.