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| All contents and photographs copyright Matt Rowlings, ©2003-2010. |
| Photos: explicit permission must be obtained from Matt Rowlings for any use of any images from eurobutterflies.com. |
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Green Striped White
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Almeria, Spain,
April 2009 |
  Peter Rowlings |
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Gafsa, Tunisia,
April 1999 |
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This species is fairly widespread in mountainous areas of Morocco and southern Tunisia but always local. We found it on the very edge of the desert in Tunisia on the borders of the great salt lakes, or Chotts. Here oases can be found where trickles of water emerge from the hills and seep into the extremely salty lakes. These are below sea level but the sun is so strong that the water evaporates leaving salt to crystallise into "salt-bergs" that float and grow in the water. Away from the oases the soils are sand entrained in crystals of salt. These make amazing shapes. We've also found it fairly commonly around Agadir in Morocco at the coast and inland in March to over 1500m in the High Atlas mountains in May. Generally it flies strongly and often stops at flowers for nectar. In Africa it flies with a similar species, Euchloe falloui, Scarce Green Striped White. See that species for more information. It also flies in southern Spain where it is widespread in spring. I have heard that it flies as far north as Valencia. |