03-09-2013 - Little news

I haven't posted any new blog items for over a month. The weather hasn't been great plus I've been very busy with work. Still, I still made some trips. So I went to the Eiffel to look for Lysandra coridon - Chalk Hill Blue without much result. I also made another attempt to find dragonflies in the Weerribben, but everything turned out to have been mowed, which was quite disappointing. With a lot of luck I was able to photograph the Sympetrum pedemontanum - Banded Darter in an unmown area. We also tried a landscape, but there was too much fog and we looked for Sympecma paedisca - Siberian Winter Damsel, but there was actually no fog. All in all, not very exciting.

What was really nice is that I was nominated for the NS photo audience award of the annual National Geographic photo competition. This is the photo of the Small Veined White that I took earlier this year. Now we just have to wait and see how many votes I get.

Hopefully we will have some nice days again in the near future and I can go out again.

Sympetrum pedemontanum - Banded Darter
Sympetrum pedemontanum - Banded Darter




23-08-2013 - Hipparchia statilinus

Yesterday I spent about 4 hours walking through the field again for nothing looking for the Aeshna subarctica - Bog Hawker. Luckily I saw a few flying but it was impossible to photograph them. The afternoon before I had more luck looking for the Hipparchia statilinus - Tree Grayling. Almost every year I go looking for this butterfly and every time I resolve not to go again because the photo doesn't get any better. This time it was different and I found a mating couple who, in my opinion, were sitting very nicely for the photo. Next year I will definitely skip the Hipparchia statilinus - Tree Grayling.

Hipparchia statilinus - Tree Grayling
Hipparchia statilinus - Tree Grayling




15-08-2013 - France 19-07/04-08

In the meantime, I have been back to work for a while, but I went to the south of France (Forcalquir) with the family for two weeks. The four of us had a wonderful holiday and did little. As always, I took the camera a few times to photograph some nice animals in the area. At first I thought I would be able to find dragonflies easily, but apart from 2 Orthetrum brunneum - Southern Skimmer near the pool, there was little to be found. Halfway through the holiday I found a few Sympetrum meridionale - Southern Darter at a reservoir, but early the next morning none were to be found so this was also a bit disappointing. The second week I found a nice field a few kilometers from our house that had quite a few mother-of-pearl butterflies and I got up early a few times to go out. I thought the photo below of the Melitaea cinxia - Glanville Fritillary was quite successful.

Melitaea cinxia - Glanville Fritillary
Melitaea cinxia - Glanville Fritillary

Along the edges of the field there were some striking purple flowers here and there with the occasional sleeping fritillary butterfly. After a lot of searching and fiddling, I also managed to take what I think is a nice photo of this. All in all, I spent three mornings (before sunrise) on this field.

In the meantime I also spent a morning in Germany, but those photos will follow.

Melitaea phoebe - Knapweed Fritillary
Melitaea phoebe - Knapweed Fritillary




Switzerland 04-07/07-07

Went to Switzerland for a few days last weekend. On Thursday after work I got in the car around 5 o'clock and drove south on my own. My expectation was that I would arrive around 2 o'clock at night, but due to road works, etc. I only arrived at my destination, the Albula Pass, around a quarter past 3. After sleeping on the back seat for 2 and a half hours, I start looking for the first butterflies around 6 am, in this case the Parnassius phoebus - Small Apollo. It is a beautiful area and I find more than 10 sleeping Lesser Apollos but most are hidden deep in the grass. Fortunately, there is always one that sits slightly differently and I can take the photo below.

Small Apollo butterfly - Parnassius phoebus
Small Apollo - Parnassius phoebus

By the time I'm done with the Apollos I meet Peter Groenendijk (www.anythingbutcommon.nl) with whom I will be going out for the next two days. We first look for Thor's fritillary – Boloria thore . With the help of Peter we arrive at a beautiful place where we find several of these butterflies. All in all, it is quite a job to take a decent photo, but in the end it works out reasonably well.

Early in the afternoon we go to a place with many Euphydryas intermedia - Asian Fritillary. I have seen this butterfly in other years, but never in such numbers. Most butterflies are already a bit worn, but there are still some fairly beautiful specimens. At the end of the day we take a look at the Boloria thore - Thor's Fritillary to see where the butterflies go to sleep. Apparently that is at the top of the tree and all the butterflies disappear without us being able to take pictures. We're going back for dinner and a little sleep.

Euphydryas intermedia - Asian Fritillary
Euphydryas intermedia - Asian Fritillary

The next day we have somewhat the same schedule. We start at the Little Apollo and at first sun we go towards the Boloria thore - Thor's Fritillary in search of warming specimens. At the end of the morning we had had enough here. Because the temperature has been very low in this area for a long time, many butterflies fly later than normal. Especially the species living at high altitudes are very late. Because we don't have much choice, we spend an afternoon looking at the higher places. We start with a short search for the Melitaea asteria - Little Fritillary. Unfortunately the climb is for nothing, except for the beautiful view.

Albulapass
Albulapass

We drive on to the Julier Pass to look for the Erebia flavofasciata - Yellow Banded Ringlet. After a terrible climb we arrive at the place where we want to search, but except for some fatheads there is nothing to be found. The view is also beautiful here, but that is not what we came for. On the way back to the hotel we stop at several fields where we don't find much.

Julierpass
Julierpass

The next day we get up on time again and go looking at one of the places we passed the day before. Unfortunately, what we can find here is a bit disappointing, the only butterfly that works is a Maculinea arion - Large Blue which I can finally get a good photo of with open wings. Around 10 o'clock the weekend is over and we head to the hotel to check out. After a long drive with the necessary traffic jams and delays, I arrive home late at night, back to work the next day...

Maculinea arion - Large Blue
Maculinea arion - Large Blue




11-06-2013 - Aeshna isoceles - Green eyed Hawker

Last Saturday I went to the Weerribben again to look for dragonflies. Of course the weather was not clear as predicted, but it was low cloud without sun. So we did some searching and we came across several Aeshna isoceles - Green eyed Hawker. Some were already busy flying and others were still sleeping peacefully. To avoid getting up at 3:40 am for nothing, I decided to take some pictures. When a little later the sun breaks through the clouds, it makes for quite a nice picture. All in all, another successful morning.

Aeshna isoceles - Green eyed Hawker
Aeshna isoceles - Green eyed Hawker




Romania 26-05/01-06

Last week I went to Romania with Jordi Strijdhorst and my father-in-law looking for butterflies. The weather was not perfect but certainly better than many other places in Europe. Due to the somewhat strange spring, there were a few butterflies to be found, but enough to keep me entertained for a few days. Below is a brief overview of the past week.

Day 1

We leave for Romania at about 9:30 am with the idea of ​​stopping just before the Hungarian border and looking for a place to sleep for the night. The trip goes well, but the ventilation in my car is not working, which means that it is quite chilly in the car with an outside temperature of 4 degrees. We pass Vienna just in time and decide to drive a little further so that it is not so far the next day. If we are already in Hungary, we also drive past Budapest and stop at a gas station to sleep for a few hours.

Day 2

We wake up again around 4 am and continue driving. Around 10 o'clock we are already at a Romanian campsite near Cluj where we rent a small house/hut. Because we are in Romania so early, we start looking for butterflies. That afternoon we go looking in a beautiful forest area and find piles of Euphydryas maturna - Scarce Fritillary and a few Neptis sappho - Common Glider. Because it's starting to splash a bit, we head back home on time, have some drinks and go to bed on time.

Neptis sappho - Common Glider
Neptis sappho - Common Glider

Day 3

Today we will first look for the Euphydryas maturna - Scarce Fritillary and then drive a bit towards the east in search of other butterflies. This is where I actually hoped to find the Muschampia cribrellum - Spinose Skipper, but due to the weather earlier this year it is almost no longer flying. There are many blues to be found, but due to the warm weather on this day it is not really possible to take good photos of them.

Euphydryas maturna - Scarce Fritillary
Euphydryas maturna - Scarce Fritillary

Day 4

This day the weather seems to be good and we have already set the alarm on time. Unfortunately we forgot that the campsite gate only opens at 8 am and so we cannot leave. The plan was to get to the spot of the previous day in time and photograph sleeping blues. Now that we arrive here a few hours late, everything is flying around again and taking pictures is almost impossible again. All in all, I managed to take a successful photo of a male Plebejus pylaon - Eastern Zephyr Blue.

Plebejus pylaon - Eastern Zephyr Blue
Plebejus pylaon - Eastern Zephyr Blue

After an hour of taking pictures we continue to look for the Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow. I have been hoping to find this butterfly for years, but so far I have never been able to and it seems to become rarer every year. After driving about 200 kilometers (which takes us about 4 hours), we finally arrive at our destination. It is a beautifully quiet spot, where unfortunately it is not swarming with Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow. Still, after walking around for about 3 hours we managed to find about 3 butterflies and even managed to photograph one neatly. It could have been a bit nicer, but I have been satisfied for a long time.

Habitat Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow
Habitat Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow

Day 5

We go to the forest area where we have been before in reasonable time. The Spirea Glider - Neptis rivularis, which we have not seen before, can now also be found in small numbers. Furthermore, it is still swarming with the Euphydryas maturna - Scarce Fritillary and a Limenitis populi - Poplar Admiral passes by and does not want to be photographed. There are quite a few Bombina variegata - Yellow-bellied Toad in the lakes, but taking pictures of them is not easy either. We walk through several fields, but without results. When it starts to rain we go back to our house.

Marsh fritillary - Euphydryas aurinia
Marsh fritillary - Euphydryas aurinia

Day 6

A lot of rain is expected today and we decide to go somewhere else. Initially we want to go to Austria, but the weather is so bad there that we decide to go to the north of Hungary. We arrive at the end of the afternoon and see if it is worth getting up early the next morning. Upon arrival at one of my favorite butterfly spots, it turns out that it had also rained terribly the days before. The entire valley is a large stream of water instead of a sea of ​​flowers and we find no more than about 4 fritillaries. The plan for the next morning is clear, sleep in and return to the Netherlands.

Day 7

Today we are in the car around 9 o'clock. The navigation sends us through Slovakia and Poland. It is a nice ride with unfortunately lots of rain here and there. We return home in the dark around 11 o'clock, we didn't see as much as we had hoped, but it was another beautiful trip and I finally have a photo of the Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow.

Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow
Colias myrmidone - Danube Clouded Yellow




08-03-2013 More Whites

Because I was quite enthusiastic about my latest results, I went back to the “witjes” spot a few more times. I spent three evenings looking for a beautiful picture with a setting sun. All in all, it took a lot of time, but in the end I am completely satisfied with the result. The photo may be a bit busy, but I think the colors are beautiful. Really something different from other photos.

Pieris napi - Green-veined White
Pieris napi - Green-veined White

Then I thought I would take the same photo at sunrise with dew. Unfortunately, that is disappointing because the sun rises in a different place than you expected, there is too much fog so that the sun does not come out well, etc. etc. Still, a nice picture remains of a sleeping Anthocharis cardamines - Orange Tip under the dew .

Anthocharis cardamines - Orange Tip
Anthocharis cardamines - Orange Tip




03-03-2013 Anthocharis cardamines - Orange Tip

Finally photographed my first Anthocharis cardamines - Orange Tip of the year. Every year I look for this butterfly again, and somehow it remains fun. It is therefore a beautiful creature that can always be found neatly on top of the Pentecost flowers. Last winter I already had a picture in my head with the rising sun, dew, Anthocharis cardamines - Orange Tip, etc. etc. Now for the first attempt, I am actually quite satisfied with the result, it is almost as I had in my head, but some dew would have been nice.

Orange tip - Anthocharis cardamines
Orange tip - Anthocharis cardamines

Now of course I took piles of photos and when I made the selection I was still left with two photos. I can't choose which one is better, so that's why I put both of them online.

Orange tip - Anthocharis cardamines
Orange tip - Anthocharis cardamines




29-04-2013 - The first butterfly photo of the year

Late last night I looked for some Orange Tips, but unfortunately I still couldn't find any. Fortunately, I did find a Small Veined White - Pieris napi that had already found a place for the night. Since it was clear and I was searching for a spot with an unobstructed view of the horizon, I was able to take photos until a few minutes before sunset. With every minute that the sun went down, the light became clearer and, to my taste, more beautiful. I took the photo below about 8:50 PM, just when the sun was like a beautiful red ball on the horizon. Now let's wait and see whether we will be able to look for Orange Tips this week.

Small veined white – Pieris napi
Small veined white – Pieris napi




19-04-2013 - Reptiles last weekend

Last weekend the weather was beautiful again, and I went with my two cool girls looking for blue Heath Frogs (Rana arvalis) etc. The frogs were easy to find, but the color was very disappointing. All in all, not worth taking pictures of. While searching we did come across a slow worm (Anguis fragilis) that allowed itself to be viewed very quietly.

Floor and Bo holding a Anguis fragilis - Slow Worm
Floor and Bo holding a Anguis fragilis - Slow Worm

Later I went looking for Vipera berus - Common European Viper, but instead I found a Coronella austriaca - Smooth Snake. This time the snake was willing to cooperate, and I was finally able to take a good photo of the creature. So far quite a good start to the year.

Coronella austriaca - Smooth Snake
Coronella austriaca - Smooth Snake




15-01-2013 - First photos of 2013

After a long period of crappy weather, it's finally winter again. Last Saturday I of course had to immediately look for winter damselflies. Got into the car on time and of course it was not minus 4 and cloudless as forecast. Fortunately it was snowing a bit so there was some snow left on the twigs and the like. After walking around for about an hour, we had a total of 4 damselflies, which was certainly not disappointing. I think the photo below is the best of the bunch. This was the first time I found a wintering damselfly on a single bare straw.

Snowed Sympecma paedisca - Siberian Winter Damsel
Snowed Sympecma paedisca - Siberian Winter Damsel

Normally I am never a fan of details and half-animals, but because the animal was sitting so beautifully still, I took a detailed shot. It's funny to see how the animal is completely covered in snow. If the weather remains good for a while in the coming days, I might venture to the winter damselflies again one morning. Hopefully to be continued.