Butterflies in Greece

It’s not often that I’ve come across butterflies on the Cycladic islands, but the summer of 97 I was lucky enough to get some pictures of some different types. The first pictures are of those which are easiest to find, the ones you can see thousands of in the butterfly valley on Paros. Unfortunately I don’t know the names of any of these, so if anyone can help.....

The other 3 pictures I took up in the mountains on Naxos, they have a lot of beautiful flowers trough June and into July. That’s why I’ve also been lucky enough to get pictures of a lot of interesting bugs up here.

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I get an Email from Jostein B Engdal at 99.09.14. He sends me the name of all butterflies at this page. I have copy his Email into this page. Thanks a lot for your help Jostein!!

Hello!

I came across your homepage, which by the way contained a lot of information as well as being exiting and personal, while looking for info on butterflies. I’ve been working with butterflies for years, and have been to the countries around the Mediterranean Sea, in particular Turkey, many times. I know most of the insects that fly around down there. Here are some comments too your pictures. The black and white butterfly, with the red back wings with two black dots, from the butterfly valley on Paros are spinners, which in Latin is called, Callimorpha quadripunctata. It’s common in damp ravines where they stay in the shadow during the day.

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These two I was lucky enough to get together. The smallest one is the smallest I’ve ever seen. The other one reminds me of a kind we also have I Norway, the colour is supposed to be light green.

In the next picture with a small brown and a larger yellow/green butterfly, the small one belongs to a family called Hesperiidae, but I can’t see exactly what species, the picture quality is too poor. It can be one of four; Thymelicus acteon, Th. lineola, Th. silvicolus or Ochlodes venatus. The other one is a she "lemonbutterflie" (Gonepteryx rhamni) which we have in Norway too.

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This is the biggest butterfly I’ve ever seen.

The third picture shows an Iphiclides podalirius. The same butterfly is on the fourth picture along with a large leaf grasshopper.

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When I got home and had my pictures developed I saw that I had gotten some pictures with both a butterfly and a big green grasshopper in the same picture.

Otherwise the mountains, as you write, are the best areas to see butterflies and other insects in the Mediterranean district during the summer. I prefer May-June (July) and I like to visit Turkish Mountains over 2000 m. Wonderful scenarios and nice climate.

By the way, there’s a new book on butterflies in Greece; Lazaros N. Pamperis, The butterflies of Greece. The price is approximately 115 USD. Publisher: Bastas Plessas S.A.; ISBN: 9607418204

Jostein B. Engdal.

Photo taken at Peloponnesos (mainland), in Lousios Gorge at April 2000.

Photo taken at Peloponnesus (mainland), in Lousios Gorge at April 2000.

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© Jan Bergtun, 2. October 1999	Updated, 09.24.2011
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