After A 50 Year Wait: Black-Veined Whites Aporia crataegi

[Harold Gough]

I have waited since my teens to see this species. It was once native to England but became extinct about 90 years ago, having always been rare.

I saw my first one a few days into my visit around the Zagori mountain region of NW Greece. I was walking down a track to photograph an ancient stone bridge. My macro lens was back in the car! Then I saw them at intervals, in various roadside locatiions, fluttering just out of range on steep, flower-rich slopes. Only during the later days in each of my two-centre stays was I successfull.

First I found this individual. Cropped about 50%:



On out last evening I came across this encounter between two individuals. It seems to have been an unsuccessfulcourtship as there is no evidence of genital linking. There was a lot of wing fluttering, mostly by one of them at any one time. It seems that the female rubs most of her scales off, leaving her wings semi-transparent:

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=crataegi

Thus it seems to have been a male (the active one) and a female.

The images have been cropped, although the wing-tips were missing in the originals. Shown in chronological sequence:







After two or three minutes they flew to this position above my head. Then one flew away, leaving this one:



Harold
_________________
Happiness is having the right adapter.

My manual flash setup for high magnification:

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=117843#117843

[pwnell]

Makes me so sad. I have a collection of about 780 different butterflies that I collected since I was 8. I stopped when I reached adulthood not so much because of my age, but because butterflies seem to be harder to find these days. They are by far the most striking and beautiful of all insects in my mind - it should not be so hard to find them

[harisA]

Nice to hear you are on vacations in Greece.

[Harold Gough]

[Yann E.]

Nice shots, and I can easily understand the joy & excitement this find caused. There are a few species I'm longing after too...

Still, would it bring up any resentment if I told you I see this particular species every year in my garden ?

[Harold Gough]

[DQE]

It sounds like you're having a great trip - thanks for posting some photos of the most interesting (macro-related) highlights.
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How are things in Greece for tourists these days? Intuitively, I suspect that outside of some areas of Athens on a few days, one might not notice too much stress from the ongoing financial crisis. I hope for the sake of the people of Greece that the EU and others can somehow rework the various banking and government institutions.
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-Phil

"Diffraction never sleeps"

[Harold Gough]

Phil,

We wouldn't know how things are really. We were a very long way from any city and only drove through one major town, without stopping.

Having driven for an hour one day, on a tourist route, without seeing anyone, we didn't interact once.

We were the only guests at our second hotel and one petrol station wanted cash. Otherwise, nothing to report. Everyone was friendly, locals and foreigners.

The outward flight was about full, the return one half empty.

I would go back tomorrow.

Harold
_________________
Happiness is having the right adapter.

My manual flash setup for high magnification:

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=117843#117843