Summer holiday stage 2, update 2

After 5 glorious days in the mountains with temperatures in the mid twenties we have woken to thunderstorms and rain so it is a good time to post an update on the blog.

I have probably looked down more than up (when I have been looking at all - I am on holiday after all 😉) and have scored yet another new butterfly species in the form of a Geranium Argus (brun blåvinge). It is not a particularly scarce species and one I have probably overlooked previously. There turned out to be quite a few of them in an area where there were 6 different species of blue butterfly. Proof that I have previously overlooked them was easy to find as I been in the same area the previous day and not noted them (but had seen many female Mazarine Blue (engblåvinge) flying around which I had not bothered to follow up….).

The six species of blue I had flying together were Common (tiriltunge), Mazarine (eng), Idas, Cranberry (myr), Northern Brown Argus (sankthans) plus the Geranium Argus. I also had some tiny individuals of Mazarine that in the field I thought were Small Blue but my pictures proved otherwise. I also took a picture of a Germainium Argus which lacked the distinctive white line on the underwing and could have almost passed as an Amanda’s Blue based on the one picture I took.

Other good flutterbies were another Large Heath (myrringvinge) and a couple of Purple-edged Coppers (purpurgullvinge) which in my opinion is the best butterfly in Norway.

A trip above the tree line revealed lots of Dewy Ringlets (fjellringvinge) and quite a few fritillaries but the only ones that allowed themselves to be identified proved to be relatively uninteresting Pearl and Small Pearl-bordered.

Birds that have entertained us have included Short-eared Owl, Willow Grouse with young and Lapland Bunting.

I have also rekindled by love hate relationship with orchids but will not bother you any more with that right now 😉

Geranium Argus (brunblåvinge)

Idas Blue (idasblåvinge)

Mazarine Blue (engblåvinge)

Northern Brown Argus (sankhansblåvinge)

Common Blue (tiriltungeblåvinge)

2 Geranium Argus

Cranberry Blue (myrblåvinge)

Male Purple-edged Copper (purpurgullvinge)

Dewy Ringlet (fjellringvinge)

Large Heath (myrringvinge)

A Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (brunvinge). I thought this was an aberration  but apparantly is just some form of scale defect

Arran Brown (Fløyelsringvinge)

There are possibilities for some good dragonflies up here and this Azure Hawker (fjellibelle) is only my third ever

Female Willow Grouse (lirype)

Male Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail (gulerle) and Lapland Bunting (lappspurv)

Very young Willow Grouse

Willow Grouse mum

Lapland Bunting, insect and moon

Short-eared Owl (jordugle)

Lapland Bunting and Bitihorn mountain

Vinstri lake 3 July

And 29 May. A lot has happened in 5 weeks