Plume de Ville

Six-spot Burnet. [Zygaena filipendula] (La Zygène de la filipendule or Zygène de la spirée)



It is seen from afar and it states clearly, "Do not eat me."

This butterfly is a day-flying moth.

6 spots on the fore wings and no band on the abdomen, club shaped antennae.

It is one of the most common Zygaenidae.

(The Filipendula is a spirea, white flowers, pink below ).

http://aramel.free.fr/INSECTES13bis-3.shtml

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

August 3^rd

Common blue. [Polyommatus icarus
Lycaenidae-Polyommatinae-](Azuré commun or Argus bleu or Azuré de la Bugrane)

Pretty blue purple butterfly wings fringed with white.

Beige grey underside with black spots surrounded by white and orange maculae.

(It has lots of blue "cousins" of the same type and the confusion is easy for the amateur that I am.
But I think that this one is the common blue (icarus) because the fringe of the wings is completely white (without black stripes) and there is a black spot on the fore wing (in the cell) and because it is one of commonest!)

Madam has brown wings with orange marks.  Without marks on top of the forewings. And it often has blue scales.

Below, the underside of the left butterfly.













































Another, even butterfly on both pictures.

(The photo below was previously classified Common blue female.)

when I looked at other pictures to recognize the Brown argus, I found this picture on the left could not be that of the female (!) Common blue!

This butterfly was with Common argus and I automatically put it in the family (I lacked rigor).

The Common blue does not have marks on the top of the wings,they are here undeniably visible.













I think it is a Brown argus  - [Aricia agestis (Plebeius)-Lycaenidae Polyommatinae-]

Another photo.
I have not had the underside of wings.





http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/PolyomIcarus.htm
http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/AriciAgest.htm
http://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/plebeius_agestis.html
http://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/polyommatus_icarus.html
http://www.lepinet.fr/especes/nation/lep/index.php?e=l&id=31400#
http://www.lepinet.fr/especes/nation/lep/index.php?e=l&id=31200#
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?vernacular_name=Common%20Blue
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?vernacular_name=Brown%20Argus

August 5^th

Clouded yellow. [Colias crocea. Pieridae Coliadinae] (Souci.)

Usually it perches with the wings closed and in flight it is difficult to discern its wings.

Today, these two flutter.

And for him, there are no other terms. Monsieur flits around madame, hovers a little, tries to attract its attention. A right turn, a left turn, he rises and makes a descent towards the belle.

And it work, the female each time opens the wings a moment, to receive the male and (happy photographer) for once the obverse is displayed.

Male and female are almost identical.

Both have a black border at the edge of the wings, larger in females and dotted with yellow spots.

The wings are orange yellow.

A real rodeo.

(There is another female form in which the wings are white green with grey on the hind wings.)







(5cm)

(Ph. 040809)

More calmly, here it is feeding on lavender; it is yellow green with a white discal mark.
This individual is in better condition than our little couple above which seems to be seasoned.

(Ph. 200709)

August 12^th

Wall lizard. [Podarcis muralis] (lézard des murailles).

Posed on his favourite step (it is often there), warming in the sun, next to a crack which serves as emergency exit, and where it will disappear in a blink in case of danger.

It has already had a bad encounter. Its tail is a new one; it has a different aspect, without scales. He must have had to abandon the original to a predator. The cartilage grew to form a new queue (without bones).

Not far, in the grass, the younger generation wanders.

August 14^th

European green lizard. [Lacerta viridis] (Lézard vert).

Bright green, blue throat and yellow belly, here is the male.
Long, very long tail.
In contrast to the wall lizard, he prefers the vegetation to dry stone and stays undercover or at the edge of bushes.

(30cm)

His female is more discreet in his green brown coloured robe.

August 17^th

These beautiful thighs? 

They belong to an Oedemera nobilis --

Small metallic gleaming green beetle with long antennae. It keeps its elytra slightly separated allowing its wing to peep out.

(9 mm)

It is common and feeds on pollen.

Madam wears also a green coat but stays slim.

170809- Nota: Modification de l'article du 3 août sur l'Argus bleu (voir cette date).