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Pseudotergumia fidia

Striped Grayling

Field Notes

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Bouches du Rhône, France, July 2009

 

Var, France, July 2009

 

Bouches du Rhône, France, July 2009
Habitat + hiding in undergrowth and shade in the very hot conditions.

 

Montes Universales, Spain, August 2003

 

Provence, France, August 2001
 

Provence, France, August 2001
 

Middle Atlas, Morocco, September 2001
 

Montes Universales, Spain, August 2003

 

I love this butterfly. It loves very hot places where it sits on very hot rocks angling its wings directly into the sun to minimise heat intake from the sun and minimises its shadow that could give its position away to predators. It has wonderful bold underside markings that break up its shape completely, making it difficult to spot when settled. This makes it difficult to track down when it settles even just a short distance away.

I've just noticed in the photos above that the butterflies do match closely the colour of the rocks amongst which they live. It is subtle but I think the pinker rocks seem to have pinker butterflies, whiter rocks, whiter butterflies. Is this a real effect or am I imagining it? Anyone else noticed this in this butterfly - I'd be particularly interested if evidence exists in other butterflies too.

 

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