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Field Notes

Valais, Switzerland, July 2006

Vaud, Switzerland, July 2006

Cluj, Romania, June 2006

Cluj, Romania, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, July 2006

Valais, Switzerland, July 2006

2300m, Valais, Switzerland, July 2004

High altitude form (subalpinus) lacking all orange.

Macedonia, Greece, July 2004 (f)

Fairly typical female

Macedonia, Greece, May 2004 (f)

Extremely orange female

Les Doubs, France, May 2004 (m)

Var, France, May 2004 (m)

The male underside forewing lacks the extensive orange flush of the female.

Les Doubs, France, May 2004 (f)

Les Doubs, France, May 2004 (f)

Underside of female above

Les Doubs, France, May 2004 (f)

Another female from same meadow as female above.
Much more orange.

Les Doubs, France, May 2004 (f)

Yet another female from same meadow as above.
Intermediate amount of orange.

Kastoria, Greece, May 2004 (m)

Much submarginal orange was normal across N Greece in May. Hint of blue in underside hindwing marginal areas.

Macedonia, Greece, July 2000 (f)

Female

Piedmont, Italy, June 2003 (m)

It flies from northern Spain across all of Europe to Poland and Greece except Scandinavia and the UK. It never seems to be very common but the individuals that are present are usually rather conspicuous, flying rapidly about and feeding avidly at flowers. Often they it in the centre of flowers without feeding, presumably this offers them a little more warmth but I would have thought at the expense of camouflage.

The males are indeed sooty - hardly any orange on the uppersides at all. The high alpine subspecies, subalpinus, looses all upperside orange even in the females. This subspecies appears to be single brooded, those of lower altitudes are multiple brooded.

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