Graham Hart has lived in Ariege since May 1998 and has known the area since 1991. He has a life-long interest in natural history, which started with butterflies and birds and now includes other insects (especially moths) and flowers. He leads butterfly watching holidays in the region and is writing a book on the butterflies of Ariège. When not out chasing butterflies Graham works as a vet in Ax-les-Thermes.
The weather has again been very good, hardly any rain and the farmers are now saying it is drier than last year. Some fires have broken out on the mountain sides, but thankfully nothing too large this year. I saw one of these fires sweeping up through woodland on a steep slope, sometimes the flames totally engulfed a tree, even large trees, it was very dramatic. The flowers are suffering because of the dry weather, but those with deeper roots are putting on a magnificent display, providing plenty of nectar sources for butterfliles.
BUTTERFLIES
Not an exceptional month but not at all bad with thirty five species being spotted, some rather late such as a few very worn Dark Green Fritillaries and also quite a few Silver Washed Fritillaries some still in pretty good condition. Others second generation such as Knapweed, Glanville, Heath Meadow and Spotted Fritillaries. These were abundant, darting around nectaring on knapweed flowers, making you look carefully at each one to differentiate the species. Along with these there were Clouded Yellows and Bergers Clouded Yellows also on the knapweed. Sooty and Small Coppers were both spotted throughout the month but in low numbers. Of the Blues, Adonis Blues were moderately abundant and Common Blues were all over the place, living up to their name “Common” Blue. Typical autumn butterflies put in an average appearance, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell all being seen but no records of Camberwell Beauty that some years becomes quite common at this time.
The number of autumn migrants was rather low, I spotted one Bath White in the middle of the month and there was a smattering of Long Tailed Blues about, which I think were the offspring of an earlier migration. But no Langs Short Tailed Blues reported this year. Painted Ladies are still around but only in low numbers, a bit of a disappointment after their fairly strong showing earlier in the summer.
This is the best time of the year to see the Geranium Bronze whose numbers build up progressively over the summer, they were abundant and popping up all over the place. Their eggs were very easy to find and very abundant on the potted Geraniums so popular here.
The highlight of the month for me was a Female Brown Hairstreak, which came flitting along right past me then landed on a bush just three metres away, where she spread her wings and proceeded to sun herself, staying there for over five minutes before moving again. Then my daughter practically touched her, she flew about a metre and settled again. Why is it that when things like that happen I never have my camera!!
FLOWERS
Struggling rather due to the prolonged dry weather, however deep rooted plants such as Knapweeds did not seem perturbed and put on a great display. Then towards the end of the month the Crocuses started to come out, first of all in ones and two’s then more profusely. There seemed to be far fewer than last year of the Colchicum, the Autumn Crocus which starts to flower before the true Crocus which by the end of the month was in quite good numbers, popping up all over the place, in fields and also in woodland.
Autumn Ladies Tress Orchids were abundant towards the end of the month, including some monster specimens of around 15cm high with a spiral of flowers doing two and a half complete turns around the stem as they wound their way so characteristically up it.
BIRDS
September sees quite a few migrants going through and summer visitors departing, and it was early in the month that with my family I was lucky enough to come across a group of six Bee Eaters just flying up and down about a one hundred metre stretch of hill side where they often perched on a couple of dead trees, making them easy to see with their very exotic plumage, fortunately I had my binoculars at hand! Honey Buzzards were a frequent sight, gaining height on the thermals on their long and hazardous trip south..