Jardin Botanique Le Maurier

Papillons                        Butterflies and moths

These are my own photographs or taken by my husband (RvdH) and all taken in Le Maurier garden in various years.

Ce sont toutes nos propres photos prises  dans le jardin botanique.

Je peux très bien me tromper de nomenclature : je ne suis pas spécialiste !

Merci de vos commentaires et rectifications !

Hesperia comma                                      Silver spotted skipper, female

Sort très tôt, en février.  Le premier papillion à être apperçu dans ce jardin, d'habitude dans la véranda.  Ici - le 9 février 2022  -  il est à l'extérieur, devant la grange.


This tiny butterfly 15 mm is the first to come out, when winter is still around.  I usually spot it in the veranda but this one was on the top lawn in front of the barn 9 February 2022.  Seen here in a typical basking position with its forewings slightly raised.  Its range is given as "most of Europe" but in Britain it is one of the rarest butterflies, restricted to a few chalk and limestone hillsides in the south.

Provencal Blue, female

Brown Argus

Satyre marbré                                         Marbled Ringlet

Erebia montana

Une seule volée : juillet – septembre en colonies

Nourriture de la chenille : graminées en particulier Festuca et Nardus stricta

Dans ce jardin l’imago butine surtout la marjolaine


Seen here on marjoram, its favourite food plant in this garden

One single flight July-Sept in colonies

Caterpillar feeds on grasses

Small Skipper

Likes to rest with its wings half-open, as here.  Photographed on drying knapweed, July 2021

Weaver's Fritillary 

Clossiana dia

                    Petit nacré                       

 Queen of Spain Fritillary on buddleia

Issoria lathonia

Nouriture de la chenille : les violettes

L'imago butine une grande gamme de fleurs

Sylvain azuré                   Southern White Admiral

Limenitis reducta

Nouriture de la chenille : chèvrefeuilles.  Ici l'imago se pose sur la marjolaine.

The caterpillar feeds on honeysuckle.  Here the imago is feeding on marjoram.


 Le Flambé                              Scarce Swallowtail

Iphiclides podalirius

Nourriture de la chenille : prunelliers, arbres fruitiers

The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of trees in the prunus family


Machaon                             Swallowtail

Papilio machaon

This photo by RvdH  5-7-2022

Nourriture de la chenille : Ombellifers

The caterpillar is first black and white and later green with orange and black rings.  It feeds exclusively on the leaves of Umbelllifers.

Green-veined White

Semi-apollon                       Clouded Apollo

Parnassius mnemosyne


Le Demi-deuil                  Western Marbled White

Melanargia occitanica (galathiae ?)


Native to North Africa and S-W Europe

Western Marbled White with crab spider

The Crab Spider has started to turn blue to match the scabious flower it is hiding in.  I think with the Western Marbled White it has bitten off more than it can handle!  July 2021

Petite tortue                         Small Tortoiseshell

Aglais urticae

La Lucine                       Duke of Burgundy

Hamearis lucina

Seen here on a buddleia, August 2021.

This butterfly is imported from S. America and is the only representative of its family in Europe.

Vanessa                                                      Painted Lady

Vanessa cardui


Photo: RvdH  24-7-2022


Un migrateur du Magreb, des fois en grand nombre.  Se trouve dans le monde entier, même observé en Icelande !


Migrates from N.Africa, sometimes in large numbers.

Food plant: Thistles

The adult feeds on almost any flower

Citron de Provence                                       Male and female Cleopatra

Gonepteryx cleopatra

Male upperside is brilliant yellow with a large orange patch on the forewing.  The female is very pale green.

Grand paon de nuit                                       Giant Peacock Moth, male and female

Saturnia pyri

Very rare.  The largest European moth (wingspan 15-20 cm)  Only lives for one day, during which time it does not feed.  On the garden gatepost, this male (top) was joined briefly by his mate.  One sighting in this garden in 2016; another (male only) in 2022 on the veranda door.


Giant Peacock Moth caterpillar

Spotted in a lane leading from the village of Turriers, July 2021.  The spiny "buttons" are actually bright blue!

Sphynx  colibri                                                  Hummingbird  hawk moth

Macroglossum stellatarum



Zeuzère du poirier                         Leopard moth

Zeuzera pyrina


Seen only once in Le Maurier garden, sadly in the throes of dying.

  Sylvandre sp.                               Woodland greyling

Hipparchia fagi

Sur un cynorrhodon                         Seen here on a wild rose

              Écaille chinée                               Jersey Tiger Moth 

Euplagia quadipunctaria         

fam. Arctiidae

Seen here emerging on a geranium (2020).  The underwings are the same colour as the flower.

Tiger Moth, open


Spurge Hawk Moth caterpillar

Hyles euphorbiae

Death's Head Hawk Moth

Acherontia atropos

Named for the skull-like marking on its thorax (just visible in this image).  A migrant from Africa!  Does not visit flowers, but is known to enter beehives to take honey.  Feeds on potatoes, nightshades and related plants.  Common in S. Europe, rare in Britain.  Photographed May 2021 on the veranda wall (there are tomatoes nearby!)

(any help?)

Six-spot burnet

(a day-flying moth)

Lace Border moth

Scopula ornata

Foodplant: Thyme and marjoram

Chrysalis March 2021  - Any help with identification, please?

These are three different examples in the same location

Intact

Eaten (by a lizard?) apart from the head

Part eaten but it looks as if the creature is about to emerge.

Le Maurier Botanical Garden

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