Wildlife of the Lot Valley

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Another Wildlife Worldwide holiday “Wildlife of the Lot Valley” brilliantly hosted by Simon and Sara Phillpotts.  We spend the days bimbling about the French countryside looking for anything that moved, and plenty that didn’t.  In all I clocked over 200 species on iNaturalist.

 

The river Lot flows through Cohors.

 

We stayed to the east, in Vers

 

and visited picturesque villages such as Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

 

Bird highlights included the Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus). This kite is distinctive, with long wings; white, grey and black plumage; and owl-like forward-facing eyes with red irises. It hovers like a kestrel! (There were also Black Kites, and lots of buzzards).

 

House Martins (Delichon urbicum) were collecting mud for their nests

 

Blue butterflies were everywhere – the Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus)

 

And, special, was the Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia).  Here the male in its “clytie” form, without overt shows of purple.

 

The Chalk Burnet (Zygaena fausta) impressed

As did the Green Forester Moth (Adscita statices)

 

The elusive Mediterranean Conehead Mantis (Empusa pennata)

 

And the stunning Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth (Hemaris fuciformis)Ponds revealed noisy Marsh Frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus)

 

and courting Viperine Snakes (Natrix maura)

 

Lots of aerial displays. Four-spotted Chasers (Libellula quadrimaculata)

 

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

 

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo)

 

Emperor Dragonfly laying eggs (Anax imperator)

 

See separate post for more butterflies and orchids

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