Destinations
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Dordogne 10 – 17 May 2012
Flowers
Lady, man, burnt-tip, fly, woodcock, narrow-leaved helleborine and greater butterfly are among the orchids, and two great surprises this far north are sombre bee orchid and long-lipped serapias. Meadows thick with yellow rattle, banks with meadow clary, tassel hyacinth, milkwort and a range of cranesbills, flaxes and rockroses are just a few of some 250 plant species. Shrubs include dogwood, fly honeysuckle and Montpelier maple.
Woodcock, pyramidal and fly orchids (Sue Staniforth)
Birds
Serins, Bonelli's warblers, short-toed treecreepers and hoopoes are all found around Castang or close to home. Black kites and buzzards are the most frequently seen birds of prey; hobbies are also likely.
Other wildlife
Butterflies on the wing in mid-May include scarce and common swallowtails, black-veined and wood whites, Cleopatra, Glanville fritillary, green hairstreak, large copper and small blue. Elegant yellow and black ascalaphids – something between a lacewing and an ant-lion – hunt over meadows. Other invertebrates include violet carpenter bee and hummingbird hawkmoth. After dark, a short walk away, midwife toads are carrying their eggs.
Scarce swallowtail; female sooty copper; marsh fritillary.
More Dordogne butterflies here.
Long-lipped serapias (Sue Staniforth)
See Honeyguide's web page about
orchids in the Dordogne
Photos here by Honeyguider Steve Kourik from May 2011.
Ascalaphid Libelloides coccajus
Website about the orchids of France here (in French). Botanists are debating orchid taxonomy, so scientific names here are not always what we generally use.
