The Comma • Autumn 2011 - Butterfly Conservation

The third day began locally at a
dry, stony, parched valley floor with
no sign of life for a considerable
time. Then an Eastern Rock
Grayling was netted with no
intention of hanging around upon
release and a bright Levantine
Skipper was next to put in an
appearance. A mint-condition
Lattice Brown came into view
intent on resting low down in
bushes and on trees and a couple of
Mersin’s (Samos) Graylings were
seen plus a sole Small Bath White and Sloe
Hairstreak.
The ancient ruins of Olympos were approached
along a hot beach where a solitary Mediterranean
Skipper nectared on a lantana bush. No sooner had
we reached the beach than we found Lulworth
Skippers around a low bush and Ilex Hairstreaks
were also present. The river that flows into the sea at
this point leads upstream to the Lycian, and earlier,
ruins of old Olympos. The group became fixated on
something on a low wall: it turned out to be a fresh
Southern Swallowtail in beautiful condition. Our
one and only Green-veined White put in an
appearance here also. The long journey west to our
second base at Kas then began.
The ancient Lycian site theme continued the next
day with a visit to Patara. One or two people saw
snakes and an Eastern Festoon larva was located
under a leaf by Safi. A new butterfly for the trip was
Small Skipper and an obliging Eastern Bath White
permitted us to differentiate it from the Dappled
White. A dark form of the Small Copper was a real
delight and a newly emerged Large Wall Brown was
also seen.
Later on that afternoon, Nigel somehow managed
not only to spot, but also to track in flight, a Grass
Jewel that was buzzing around an
area of stony ground. As thunder
rumbled and more clouds built we
called it a day. Back at our hotel
the weather had now turned ‘big
time’ and the large island offshore
disappeared beneath the storm
heading our way. When it hit us
with tropical intensity the drains
couldn’t cope and before long an
inch of water covered the
restaurant floor.
Egemen had organised a boat
trip to the hamlet of Aperlai and
Lattice Brown
Dark form of Small Copper
after waiting for the rain to stop we
set-off. Brown Argus was
particularly attractive, one of which
had unusual white spots below the
hind-wing orange lunules. The walk
back to the boat was capped by an
unidentified Hairstreak that fooled
us all by pretending to be compliant
but which then shot off in the wind
and was lost.
Our penultimate day was spent
in the hills behind Kas, stopping
where the Lycian Way crossed the
road delivering only one each of Eastern Meadow
Brown, Small Copper, Large White, Painted Lady
(plus larvae on thistles), Lattice Brown and two
Clouded Yellows.
On the way in to Kalkan, driven there by rain and
the imaginary smell of coffee, we’d passed through
some lovely habitat and returned there in sporadic
light rain. In wet vegetation we turned-up Common
and Green-underside Blues, a jazzy caterpillar,
whilst Tony located a Cream-spot Tiger, or similar.
With a mid-afternoon flight back home on our
final day there was little further time in the field but
at the Karaman Beli pass some 10km before
Korkuteli at 1,290 metres we dismounted to check
out a lovely herby thyme covered hillside. But boy,
was it cold, despite the sunny intervals! Safi spotted
a Bavius Blue rooster and it was good to see
Chapman’s Blue and Brown Argus in the
windswept conditions.
The Lycian site of Termessos became our final
stop. The zig-zag approach road was ascended under
a grey sky and cool breeze but a pair of roosting
Eastern Festoons and a solitary Bavius Blue were
found adjacent to the car park. Most of the group
went to see the amphitheatre. A final stop was made
not far from the site entrance where Tony found a
freshly emerged Balkan Marbled
White low down on a yellow sage.
This was to be the last butterfly of
the trip.
A total of 50 butterfly species
had been seen and 71 birds had
been recorded including
(warblers) Olivaceous, Rüppell’s;
(buntings) Cirl, Cretzschmar’s,
Black-headed, and Corn;
(wheatears) Northern, Isabelline,
and Black-eared; (woodpeckers)
Middle-spotted, Lesser-spotted,
and Syrian.
Autumn 2011 • The Comma 31