Paul Selby
@selbypaul.bsky.social
Butterfly Holiday Guide for Mariposa Nature Tours, Street Tree Campaigner, Elm Tree enthusiast, European Butterfly Watcher & Civil Servant.
A calm warm sunny morning perfect for a late season trip to Kingsdown Leas. Scanning the Everlasting Pea fortunate to find one worn Long-tailed Blue. Several Adonis were still on the wing, inc this ♂️which had me 🤔 😕 as it had lost its internal hindwing spots @savebutterflies.bsky.social #KentNature
New tour alert! 📢 We don't rest on our laurels here at Team Mariposa. Designed by our amazing Spanish butterfly scientist duo of Miguel Munguira & Juan Pablo Cancela, we're thrilled to announce our unique and exclusive Butterflies of Val d'Aran tour: www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
Ooh. Feeling fruity? We certainly are, as the hedgerows burst with colour and juicy goodness. Whether you're a peckish Blackbird or a dedicated @wildflowerhour.bsky.social participant, there are treasures out there to be found in the coming week's #wildflowerhour #fruits challenge. 🫐
wildflowerhour@wildflowerhour.bsky.social · last wk.Hips, haws, nuts and berries! It’s starting to look a bit autumnal out there! So this week’s challenge is #fruits! Share your finds of wild & naturalised fruits for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm. Happy fruit hunting! ☺️🍒
Spotted this beautiful Green Veined White this morning. Here in Sheffield I rarely see a butterfly after the end of September. So I'm making the most while I can!
As gateway species go, Hungarian Birch Mouse will take a lot of beating when it comes to getting me hooked on small mammals. Charismatic, cute as a button, and known from just a handful of locations. It's got it all going on.
In the nicest possible way, let's all go to seed this week for #WildflowerHour! We'll be heading out into our local area and seeing what wildflower seedheads we can find. And shh, whisper it, some are more attractive than the flowers themselves...
wildflowerhour@wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 2w agoSome wildflowers have seed heads that are truly spectacular! The challenge this week is to find some and then share your lovely pics for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #SeedHeads! Any wild or naturalised blooms you find too are of course always welcome!
Red Admiral numbers up to 12 in my Corfe Castle garden at any one time today +3 Painted Lady, 5 Hummers! At least one was somebodies lunch but it’s surprisingly rare to find their wings on the ground. I guess the red might be a warning? @savebutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social
Grayling peaked several weeks earlier this year at Studland, 2 weeks earlier than 2025 and 4 weeks earlier than 2024. Not surprisingly, they are going over quickly now due to the heatwaves and drought which have now thankfully ended. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social
Our Butterflies of the French Alps tour finished on a record-breaking 151 species seen by our group in July... or so we thought. A photo sent to us yesterday by one of the guests takes that total to 152 species - thank you Derek for your False Ilex Hairstreak! Now just 3 spaces available for 2027.
Paul Selby@selbypaul.bsky.social · 2mo agoYesterday we completed the @mariposanature.bsky.social Butterflies of the French Alps trip, adding Silky Ringlet, extending the record species count to 151. I'm leading the trip in 2027 & there's just 8 spaces left. If you're interested you can book here www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
Tour update 🚨 With another booking received today, our Orchids of Cyprus tour now has just 3 places left available to join the brilliant @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social & Dave Fairhurst for a week of fabulous orchids and wildlife next spring. www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...
Tour update 🚨 With another booking received overnight, the 2027 edition of our popular Butterflies of the Montes Universales tour now moves to guaranteed departure status. And all bookings made before 1 December 2026 qualify for £150 off list price... www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
12/8/26 #Spain - My first total solar #eclipse and hopefully not my last! An absolutely mindblowing experience and a joy to share with the great company of my good friends at @mariposanature.bsky.social and guests
No day was ever made worse by an encounter with a swallowtail. Happily, the Montes Universales is home to a thriving population of Iberian Scarce Swallowtail, so no day there passes without time spent watching them flirting, fighting, feeding, or simply basking in admiration.
"Mariposa... deliver beyond expectations" More lovely feedback from a guest on our Butterflies of the Montes Universales tour. While we don't promise the Holy Grail* on the tour, we certainly think Montes IS a Terrestrial Paradise! *well, Southern Hermit... that may qualify? 😉
We don't do obscure rarities here at @mariposanature.bsky.social - but we do do brilliant rarities. This Southern Hermit was one of at least eight we saw at a new site on the last day of the Montes Universales holiday. Maybe there is hope for this extremely threatened butterfly.
Our featured tour this week, Spring Butterflies in Abruzzo, is also rather wonderful for orchids - we recorded almost 30 species there last May, and that was without really trying! www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
There's nothing false about the @mariposanature.bsky.social Montes Universales holiday. Just fantastic expert guides who created the itinerary 8 years ago, allowing us to see wonderful butterfly species such as this False Grayling.
We were treated to large numbers of Zapater's Ringlet today, Day 6 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social Montes Universales holiday. Including some unusally fantastic photo opportunities.
Nice video of @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social work with many partners to save Duke of Burgundy in Dorset, thanks to funding by @dorsetlandscape.bsky.social. Lets hope all the good work by our volunteers pays off. dorset-nl.org.uk/dorset-downs...
Duke of Burgundy Butterfly critical site management | Dorset National Landscape
The natural beauty of this AONB is described by a suite of special qualities that together make it unique and outstanding, underpinning its designation as a nationally important protected landscape.
dorset-nl.org.uk
Striped Grayling, the master of cryptic camoflage. The truth hides in plain sight... Our leaders pioneered butterfly tours here in the Montes Universales and, with our team of local Spanish butterfly guides, continue to lead the way in the region. #FYB
The total solar eclipse. Seen yesterday evening on the @mariposanature.bsky.social holiday to the Spanish Montes Universales. A truly special experience.
One of the most visceral, moving experiences I’ve ever experienced. A total solar eclipse in my favourite region of Spain. Made all the more wonderful for my being surrounded by friends. @mariposanature.bsky.social
Striped Grayling on Day 5 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social holiday in the Montes Universales. A highlight before the main highlight of the total solar eclipse later....
Some lovely encounters with the Iberian endemic Oberthür's Anomalous Blue today with our @mariposanature.bsky.social group here in the Montes Universales. Butterflies don't have to be flashy and colourful to be appreciated. They're all wonderful in their own ways.
Postcard from the field: Yesterday in the Montes Universales we caught up with some of the few remaining specialties of the region we've hitherto not seen this week - including the subtle, understated beauty that's Oberthur's Anomalous Blue. More to follow today...
Jon Dunn@dunnjons.bsky.social · last mo.Some lovely encounters with the Iberian endemic Oberthür's Anomalous Blue today with our @mariposanature.bsky.social group here in the Montes Universales. Butterflies don't have to be flashy and colourful to be appreciated. They're all wonderful in their own ways.
As anyone who knows me well can attest, I love coppers above all other butterflies. Time today watching many Iberian Sooty Copper with my @mariposanature.bsky.social group was time well-spent. Coppers are pennies from heaven. Spend them wisely!
Postcard from the field, from tour co-leader @dunnjons.bsky.social in Spain's lovely Montes Universales: Our group gathered pennies from heaven today, with lots of fresh and beautiful Iberian Sooty Copper to enjoy in fine, sunny conditions. #butterflies
Jon Dunn@dunnjons.bsky.social · last mo.As anyone who knows me well can attest, I love coppers above all other butterflies. Time today watching many Iberian Sooty Copper with my @mariposanature.bsky.social group was time well-spent. Coppers are pennies from heaven. Spend them wisely!
