Small Heath (coenonympha pamphilus)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
|
|
|
|
| 10316_male_Var_7May08 | 10619_male_Var_20May08 | 3459_sex?_Var_8Aug06 |
Very common in the UK, but although widespread it does not seem quite so numerous in France even in the south. There does seem to be quite a lot of variation, with some (very) vestigial post-discal spots on the unh.
10316: a nice bright orange unf when fresh.
10619: perhaps a more typical example, rather greyer and a more scruffy feel to the unh.
3459: the unh ground colour is a pale smoky brown, with a strong and irregular discal line, and a strong unf ocellus. This appears to be an excellent match for the form lyllus which, according to T&L, occurs in SW Europe, and is described as light sandy brown unh basal and discal areas, ocelli vestigial. 3459 matches the illustration and description very well, so my feeling is rather that the range of lyllus is wider (i.e. T&L is wrong) than that 3459 is not lyllus.
