The Butterflies of the Monts du Lyonnais

(Dates correspond to the first sighting of each species which I have seen during the year. I live in the Rhône département of France where I run a local survey and spend most of my butterfly hours. )

	*Scientific name*	*Vernacular name*	*Date*	*Area*
1.	Aglais urticae	Small Tortoiseshell	2/3/10	Rhône (69)
2.	Inachis io	Peacock	16/3/10	Rhône (69)
3.	Nymphalis polychloros	Large Tortoiseshell	16/3/10	Rhône (69)
4.	Polygonia c-album	Comma	19/3/10	Rhône (69)

Still generally cold although there was a distinctly mild and sunny day on 18th when a friend reported both Red Admiral and Brimstone. No other opportunities for butterflies during February this year.

2nd Quite a warm day, I spotted my first butterfly for 2010, this Small Tortoiseshell. Since then the cold has returned although there have been quite lengthy periods of sunshine.

12th Sunny afternoon. Quick walk to a sheltered, sunny slope above a wooded valley but just a touch too cold for butterflies. Lesser celandine flowers are interesting the bees; otherwise just a few violets along the footpath.

14th Dull and quite cold; a Sunday spent indoors! I usually start my butterfly gardening around March 1st but this year's going to be at least three weeks late.

16th Spring-like weather has just set in for the week! This afternoon was gloriously sunny though still a chilly breeze in unsheltered places. I found 3 Peacocks and 5 Large Tortoiseshells! These last 5 were all sparring together in nose to tail combat, sensational stuff! As is often the case with this species, one of these kept circling around me as I was obviously an intruder in his territory. Briefly he would land on my hand, cap, jeans etc. Still not many flowers around; a few violets and the first cowslips appearing.

17th There's been such a radical change in the weather that I was able to get some gardening done today! A single Large Tortoiseshell visited me; I would have expected to see several butterflies in such lovely conditions. The neighbour's almond tree is only just beginning to flower.........as a rule, when the tree is in full bloom the butterfly season is under way in earnest with a good number of hibernators on the wing.

19th Basically a lovely, sunny spring day albeit somewhat hazy and windy. An early finish at work left me free to have a look at a new valley in the Monts du lyonnais in the afternoon. In a couple of hours I counted 15 Peacocks, 3 Large Tortoiseshells and 4 Commas (and here.) Very little to speak of in terms of flowers, either at ground or bush level. A couple of toads, bumble bees and a hare kept me company!