Hipparchia semele

Valais, Switzerland, September 2006

Dorset, UK, July 2000

This is the typical Hipparchia in Europe. It has the widest distribution extending from southern Spain and Italy and northern Balkans to Scandinavia and the UK. In the north of its range it becomes entirely coastal for some reason. Other Hipparchia species are found south of this range and on the islands. They are only slightly different in most cases, often nearly impossible to tell apart - identification being based on a knowledge of location only in some cases.

It is a species that likes dry heathland where it feeds on heathers and other heath loving plants. The very nature of these exposed places makes wind a problem for the photographer! The above butterflies were found in strong winds so the only photos that were possible were in particularly sheltered places.

Grayling