France: Butterflies & Moths of the Vercors Naturetrek Tour Report 19 - 26 July 2017 Almond-eyed Ringlet by Paul Harmes Damon Blues mating by Paul Harmes Dewick's Plusia by Paul Harmes Waved Black by Paul Harmes Report compiled by Paul Harmes Images by Hugh Griffiths, Gareth Williams and Paul Harmes Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report France: Butterflies & Moths of the Vercors Tour Participants: Paul Harmes (leader) with eight Naturetrek clients Day 1 Wednesday 19th July Travel London Heathrow to Lyon – La Chapelle en Vercors Eight group members met with Paul at the arrivals area of Lyon St. Exupery Airport, having flown from London Heathrow Terminal 3 on the 2.05pm British Airways flight BA362. Upon their arrival, passport control and baggage reclaim were soon completed, and we made our way out to the car park, where our minibus was waiting. Luggage was stowed and we boarded the vehicle for the journey down to the Vercors region. We drove south-westwards on the A43, A48 and A49 motorways, through St. Romans, and made our way up onto the Vercors Plateau, via Pont en Royans. We soon arrived in La Chapelle en Vercors at the comfortable and friendly Hotel Bellier, our base for the tour. Here we were met by our host’s daughter, Sandra, who quickly allocated our rooms. At 8pm, we met in the restaurant for dinner, during which Paul briefly outlined the week ahead for us. From the hotel car park, upon arrival, we spotted Sparrowhawk and Peregrine Falcon, while in the restaurant we found a Rush Veneer moth. After the meal, Paul set up the moth trap. Day 2 Thursday 20th July Les Merciers – Forêt Communale d’Autrans At 6.30am we met to examine the moth trap. The catch included Small Rivulet, Tawny Speckled Pug, Black Arches, Lewes Wave, Rosy Footman, Beautiful Hook-tip amd Drewick’s Plusia for the macros, and the Crambid grass moth Agriphila staminella, the Tortrix Pandemis cinnamomeana, the Gracillarid Syncopacma cinctella and the Pyralid Synaphe punctalis for the micros. In addition, we also found the Leaf-hopper Ledra aurita, Cream-spot Ladybird and some Summer Chafers. Following a splendid breakfast, we made the short journey to Les Merciers, where we began by exploring a steep wooded path. Arran Brown, Apollo, Comma, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Damon Blue and Blue-spot Hairstreak butterflies were among our early finds, together with Six-spot and Crepuscular Burnets and Mottled Beauty moths. Moving on to a rocky lane bank, we added Grizzled Skipper, Red Admiral, Pearly Heath and Wood White butterflies, as well as Common Carder Bee, Honey Bee and the Longhorn Moth, Nemophora metallica. We completed our morning in some rocky, sub-alpine meadows, where we recorded Red-backed Shrike, Yellowhammer and Black Kite, as well as Provence Chalk-hill Blue, Mazarine Blue, Great Banded Grayling, Great Sooty Satyr and Scotch Argus. For lunch, we moved to the Route Forestale d’Autrans, a rough track through the Forêt Communale d’ Autrans. We took lunch in a forest clearing. Active butterflies included Dusky Meadow Brown, Arran Brown, Northern Brown Argus, Scarce Copper and Silver-washed Fritillary. After eating, we moved to a wide wooded verge, below which there was a damp meadow. Chalk-hill Blue, Berger’s Clouded Yellow, Heath Fritillary and Essex Skipper were recorded in the meadow, and on the verge, we © Naturetrek February 18 1 France: Butterflies & Moths of the Vercors Tour Report added Titania’s Fritillary, Peacock, Large Blue and Mazarine Blue. Day-flying moths included the Longhorn Moth Nemophora metallica, and Southern Six-spot and Slender Burnets. Three Longhorn beetles: Stenurella melanura, Pachyta quadrimaculata and Rutpela maculata, were also seen before it was time to retrace our steps back to La Chapelle en Vercors. Day 3 Friday 21st July Font d’Urle This morning the moth trap had plenty of interest, particularly with the micros, with Grey Aspen Belle, Beech Moth, Box Tree Moth, Chestnut Tortrix and Codlin Moth. For the macros, there were Muslin Footman, Brown- line Bright-eye, Hoary Footman, Waved Black, Dark Arches and the splendid Leopard Moth. We left the hotel at 9am, and headed due south towards the village of Vassieux, where we visited the cemetery, where the victims of a Nazi reprisal against the Resistance in 1944, are buried. A brief examination of the track- side to the west revealed Painted Lady, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Marbled White and Clouded Yellow butterflies, as well as Six-spot Burnet Moth, Blue-winged Grasshopper, a Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia cantans, and the Shield Bugs Graphosoma lineata and Carpocoris fuscispinus. Moving up towards the Font d’Urle, we paused on the Col de la Chau to examine a rocky verge. Here we added Meadow Brown, Blue-spot Hairstreak, Scarce Copper and Great Sooty Satyr, as well as the Assassin Bug Rhynocoris iracundus. We continued on our way over the Col de la Chau, and on to the Font d’Urle (1,500 metres), a ski station with limestone outcrops and meadows. Here, in some sheltered spots, we found Dark Green Fritillary, Small Skipper, Small Heath, Almond-eyed Ringlet, Niobe Fritillary, Apollo, Large White and Common Brassy Ringlet and Oberthur’s Grizzled Skipper. Ochraceous Wave, Bright Wave, Shaded Broad-bar and Brown-line Bright-eye moths were also noted, as were Green Mountain Grasshopper (Miramella alpina), Wart-biter Bush-cricket (Decticus verrucivorus), Bloody-nose Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa), the Longhorn Beetle Rosalia alpina, Pellucid Hover-fly (Volucella pellucens) and the Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax). Leaving the Font d’Urle, we made to short hop into the Foret de Beauvante, for our lunch. Whilst Paul set up the meal, the rest of us went to explore the woodland and clearings. These proved quite rich, with Wall Brown, Scarce Copper, Large White and Essex Skipper butterflies and Shaded Broad-bar moth. After our meal we set off through the Route Combe Laval, a precipitous road, down to St. Jean en Royans, where Paul went off to do the week’s picnic shopping, while the rest of the group explored a rather rough field. Here we found Short-tailed Blue, Large Copper, Small Heath, Spotted Fritillary, Adonis Blue, Lesser Spotted Fritillary, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Scarce Swallowtail, Gatekeeper and Heath Fritillary butterflies. There were also a good number of day-flying moths, including Six-spot Burnet, Shaded Broad-bar, Burnet Companion, Spotted Sulphur, Common Heath and Humming-bird Hawk-moth. The sky was starting to darken, and it began to rain on our way back to the Hotel. 2 © Naturetrek February 18 France: Butterflies & Moths of the Vercors Tour Report Day 4 Saturday 22nd July Route Presles – Forêt des Coulmes – Pont en Royans Today’s catch in the moth trap included Maple Prominent, Silver-Y, Minor Shoulder-knot, Uncertain, Tree Lichen Beauty, the Geometrid Scotopteryx angularia, Burnished Brass [forma aurea], Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dwarf Cream Wave, Riband Wave, Scarce Footman, Heart and Dart, Clay, Hoary Footman, Shaded Broad-bar, and Pine Beauty, for the macros, and Bird-cherry Ermine, the Tortrix Celypha striana, the Pyralid Synaphe punctalis, the Crambid grass moth Catoptria falsella, Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella) and Chestnut Tortrix (Cydia splendana), for the micros. With the catch identified and breakfast complete, we left La Chapelle en Vercors north-west and drove to where we turned west through the tunnel of the Grand Goulets and down to St. Eulalie en Royans, via the Petit Goulets then north of Pont en Royans, where we again turned west and began to climb up towards the Route de Presles. This is a magnificent limestone cliff formation, over-looking the Commune de Chatelus and the valley of the River Bourne. We made our first stop about three-quarters of the way up, where we explored the banks and meadows beside a quiet lane. Here we found Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Great Sooty Satyr, Large Skipper, Wall Brown, Scarce Swallowtail, Dryad and Common Blue butterflies. Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Alpine Swift were also present. After spending an hour or so exploring, we drove on up through Presles into the Forêt Domaniale des Coulmes, to a picnic site at the Fontaine de Petouze, where we left the vehicle, and made out way up a footpath to a large, woodland-bordered meadow. Silver-washed Fritillary, Large Skipper, Scotch Argus, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Damon Blue, Woodland Brown, Scarce Copper, Weaver’s Fritillary, Large Grizzled Skipper, Large White, Small Skipper, Brown Argus, Scarce Swallowtail, Small Blue, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Arran Brown, Mazarine Blue, Provence Chalk-hill Blue, Brimstone, Berger’s Clouded Yellow, High Brown Fritillary, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell were all present. Here, we also had a fine array of day-flying moths. After our picnic, we explored another small neadow clearing in the Forest. Wood White, White-letter Hairstreak, Swallowtail and Meadow Brown butterflies were found, and an array of other invertebrates. These included Crab Spider, Bee Beetle, the Longhorn Beetle Strictoleptura rubra, the Hornet Mimic Hover-fly (Milesia crabroniformis), Pellucid Hover-fly, Dwarf Drone Fly (Eristalis arbustorum), the nymph of the Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina), Rose Chafer, a Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata), the Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi), and a Harvestman (Mitopus morio). From here, we moved bnack the high cliffs of the Rocher de Presles. Parking at the upper end of the cliffs, we again explored the verge banks finding Sooty Copper, Scarce Swallowtail, Common Blue, Clouded Yellow, Essex Skipper, Reverdin’s Blue, Large Skipper, Small Heath, Gatekeeper, Large Blue, Mazarine Blue and Brown Argus butterflies.