Lynne wanted to visit some open air thermal baths which are situated in the small mountain village of Fontpedrouse (90 minutes from Argeles). This place is a mountain gem, not because of the thermal baths (which are excellent too) but because of the sheer variety of wildlife. Arriving at 10AM, my troop took the plunge while I explored the area...
The St Thomas Spa building at Fontpedrouse. Try to arrive for 10am (when the spa opens) on a day forecast for good weather.
Just in the café / picnic area alone, I noticed several species of butterfly fluttering around the buddleia, some were familiar British ones (gatekeeper, painted lady, large white, etc) but others were definitely not. In this small area alone, I counted 12 different butterfly species, 8 familiar British ones and 4 new ones to me.
Brown Hairstreak, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. A winner for me.
Knapweed Fritillary, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Another winner!
Southern Comma, 19/08,14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
Silver-washed Fritillary, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. The commonest butterfly here.
Gatekeeper, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. One of many British familiar British butterflies here.
Mountain Small White, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Yet another winner!
Marbled Fritillary, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. And another winner! Keep 'em coming...
Jersey Tiger Moth, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Not a butterfly, but just as stunning.
Crab Spider: Misumena vatia, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Not a butterfly either but worth a mention: these camouflaged critters lay in wait on flower-heads, ready to pounce.
After saying "goodbye" to my family at the spa entrance, I proceeded to walk up a narrow, winding, stony path which overlooks the outdoor pool area and leads up the nearest mountain. Wow! I have never seen so many insects, especially butterflies...
A few minutes' walk from the spa entrance, the narrow path winds upwards through open meadow.
Swallowtail, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fonypedrouse. Not a new one for me, but stunning anyway.
Iberian Marbled White, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
High Brown Fritillary, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
Spotted Fritillary, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
False Grayling, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
Bath White, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
Black Satyr, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. A new one for me, so was the plant: a thistle with a sunflower-sized bloom.
Chalkhill Blue, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. The commonest blue butterfly here, and another winner!
Amanda's Blue, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Yet another new one for me.
Provençale Short-tailed Blue, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. And another!
Cardinal Fritillary, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. And another!
Piedmont Ringlet, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. And another!
Scarce Copper, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. And another!
Silver-spotted Skipper, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Encore une winner!
Western Marbled White, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Another winner! Albeit rather tatty.
The Hermit, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. You guessed it: another winner for me. This was getting silly!
Already overcome by butterflies, my attention was drawn to a buzzard-like bird soaring overhead. I took a few shots just in case it turned out to be something new. I enlarged the shot and sure enough, it was a winner: Honey Buzzard!
Honey Buzzard, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse.
Rock Bunting, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Seen on the way down, another mountain bird.
Wall Lizard, 19/08/14, Bains St Thomas, Fontpedrouse. Common here, but so is its food source: insects.
What a day! No doubt we'll be retuning here on our next visit to southern France.
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