Time flies when you are having fun so eight days in Vosges went by too fast! The first days it was very hot, too hot for working. Unfortunately there was not much butterfly activity around my house nor in the wild meadow. The last two days of my stay fortunately the situation changed a little bit and I found the first emerged Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Essex Skippers in the wild meadow. Near my house there was no sign of Emperors, White Admirals, False Heath and Marbled Fritillaries. In five weeks I will return to the Vosges again so fingers crossed that I will see some of these species than!
0 Comments
The day before I arrived there were heavy 'orages' in the Vosges and I was not really surprised that the internet/wifi was gone. Getting it fixed in France is an other issue! Today, after 8 days and two visits of a mechanic it's working again. So fingers crossed that the next thunderstorms will miss 'my' village. During my last visit in May the wild meadow near my house was empty.
Now it is crowded with Black-veined Whites, which loves the white daisies, and Heath Fritillaries. In a few days it will be summer again and I hope that all the beautiful species which I found last year will emerge soon. When I arrived at dusk on Friday evening, I noticed some orange flags above our road and it was obvious that there was no relation with the WC football. The heavy rain and thunderstorms from some weeks ago were responsible for a fallen tree and power pole.....fortunately both were 'cleanded up' in the meantime. When I passed this place on Saturday morning on my way to the wild meadow (see my blogs Le pouvoir des filles I and II) I noticed some black caterpillars walking on the sawed pole....when I came closer I noticed that this were Camberwell Beauty caterpillars and soon I noticed a lot of them on the brown withered leaves. I returned to the house to get a box and started collecting caterpillars which I released in my back garden (in the Vosges) on their larval foodtree. In the meantime the sun had risen above 'my' wild meadow when I started searching butterflies. Instead of 40 cm the grass was now at least 1,20 metre high and immediately I noticed a Heath Fritillary. A lot of Meadow Browns were already active and the Marbled Whites started opening their wings. On a part with lower grass and a lot of flowers I found some Black-veined Whites. Although I photographed them a week earlier in the Eifel I was glad to have them in the Vosges.
|
Maison BonheurSince August 2017 I'm the owner of Maison Bonheur, an old farmhouse in the Vosges. Because of its location in the forest/nature the possibilities for nature/peace/relaxing lovers are limitless. Archives
July 2023
Categories
All
|