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Sooty Ringlet
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Valais,
Switzerland, June 2005 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, June 2005 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, June 2005 |
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As its name suggests, this butterfly is not
brightly marked. The individuals pictured from Switzerland are from the
form oreas which is the most brightly marked of all the forms.
The other forms show either a diffused brown-orange in place of the
orange bands above or they lack completely any markings at all (perhaps
a smudge of brown orange on the unf). It only flies in the Alps and
central Italy. It is very local and I've not seen it very often. It is
also difficult to approach, being very sensitive to shadow and dark
approaching lepster shaped silhouettes. Usually it is encountered at
high altitudes although the books say it can be found below 2000m. We
were surprised to find the butterfly in mid June at an altitude of
2400m. Typically it flies near rocky moraines where sparse grasses can
grow deep in the rocks. I'm not sure if this is a preference of the
adult butterfly or necessary for the specialist habits of the foodplant
and the larvae. |
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