Fw: European Vanessa - second try - Ron started this !

[Guy Van de Poel & A. Kalus]

-----Original Message-----
From: Guy Van de Poel & A. Kalus <320042317312-1 at t-online.de>
To: LEPS-L Discussiegroep <LEPS-L at LISTS.YALE.EDU>
Date: woensdag 6 juni 2001 19:30
Subject: European Vanessa


>Just to keep the guys up north in a reasonable mood, a small report on
>European Vanessa:
>From the 23th till the 25th of May, I was in Valais again (Switzerland,
>Martigny-Fully area).
>There were still some 20 Vanessa cardui over there, on a mountain road from
>ca 800 to 1500 m a.s.l.
>Some of these were still the very worn specimens, but now there were also
>some very fresh looking amongst them. Both on the 24th and on the 25th a
>female was seen ovipositing on thistle (Carduus sp.) (different female each
>day).
>There were also 2 Vanessa atalanta seen on the 25th.
>
>The same area was visited again on the 3d and the 4th of June. On the 3d,
>the weather was so bad, the rain pooring down shower-like (I think the
Brits
>call it 'raining cats and dogs'), I continued to Italy where in Piemont the
>weather was reasonable. On the 4th back in Valais, clear blue sky, mid-day
>temperatures from 25 to 30 deg. C (estimated) on 1200 m a.s.l. though in
the
>shadow of the trees it was still much cooler. There was still a lot of snow
>to be seen on the higher elevations (1800 m), as on the previous day it had
>been snowing from 1000 m upwards.
>In the morning, there was not much activity, as there was a cool wind
coming
>down, but starting from 11.00 more and more were on the wing. I counted 12
>V. cardui, and 9 V. atalanta on the same mountain road.
>I also found some larvae on thistle, though still very small (1st, 2nd
>instar). Judging from the rest of the butterflies flying, the very bad
>weather had not killed too many of them (some were very worn).
>
>So, even if they have not reached the higher latitudes yet, they are on the
>move, though maybe only in small numbers.
>
>Guy.
>
>Guy Van de Poel
>Guy_VdP at t-online.de
>
>Royal Entomological Society of Antwerp
>http://www.freeyellow.com/members/fransjanssens/index.html
>
>


 
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