Roger Harding
@rogercharding.bsky.social
Lover of all things natural history, particularly orchids, butterflies, birds. Also, travelling to photograph them. Play harmonica and poker and love whisky
Tour update🚨 It's going fast! With 2 more places secured yesterday, the 2027 edition of Butterflies of the Montes Universales is now almost half-fully booked. Naturally, the tour generates a donation to support the vital work of @europebutterfly.bsky.social. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...
All of the blues are, of course, gorgeous insects, but in the Montes Universales it's impossible to ignore or fail to fall hard for Azure Chalkhill Blue. Perhaps the most numerous butterfly of all when we visit, thousands are on the wing, fallen shards of sky at our feet.
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 · last mo.Yesterday 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...
A couple of dozen Autumn lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) have popped up in the last week at Dawlish Warren 😃 19/8/2026 @ukorchids.bsky.social @warrenbirding.bsky.social
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...
Picture postcards from our recently completed butterfly holiday in Slovenia. Upland Erebia’s were a main goal & we saw 14-15 species, including the endemic Lorkovic’s Brassy Ringlet (Erebia calcaria), Stygian Ringlet (Erebia styx), and Styrian Ringlet (Erebia stirius). @europebutterfly.bsky.social
As a guest & fully-engaged participitant on this & six previous @greenwingstours.bsky.social tours I'm very sorry to say I cannot read this post without passing comment. A claim of 'we saw 14-15 (Erebia) species' is overly-optimistic (to say the least) & inconsistent with my experience of the week
In addition I suspect the photos of stiria, styx & warrenensis are ‘library images’. I'd be most surprised to hear they were taken doing the week. I find it very disappointing that the author of this post has resorted to such 'marketing' tactics. Caveat emptor @europebutterfly.bsky.social
Tour update 🚨 2027 orchid tours with remaining availability on them - full details on our website: mariposanature.com/calendar All these tours generate a donation to support @bsbibotany.bsky.social
As I'm fresh home from co-leading the @mariposanature.bsky.social Butterflies of the Montes Universales tour, and will be co-leading it again next year with one of my Spanish friends, it seems a good time to share some of my favourite species from the region, starting with Spanish Chalkhill Blue.
Home after an amazing week of butterflies and an eclipse in Spain's beautiful Montes Universales. And while both were fabulous, it was the people who made the week so special. Wonderful guests, and an incredible team of leaders. Thank you, everyone. A once in a lifetime experience.
Tour update 🚨 The 2027 edition of our Orchids of Crete is, as of this evening, now fully booked. Places remain available to join our tried and tested Orchids of Tenerife, Cyprus, Gargano Peninsula, and Sicily tours. All generate donations to @bsbibotany.bsky.social: www.mariposanature.com/calendar
My first Autumn Lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) of the year. Quite a bit later than last year, these are right by the coast, kept hydrated by moisture from the sea. #orchid
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.
Marsh gentians (Gentiana pneumonanthe) putting on quite a show on Godlingston Heath, Dorset. 11/8/2026.
Bog orchids (Hammarbya paludosa) revisited - Godlingston Heath, Dorset 11/8)2026. @ukorchids.bsky.social
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.
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
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
The total solar eclipse. Seen yesterday evening on the @mariposanature.bsky.social holiday to the Spanish Montes Universales. A truly special experience.
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....
Let’s hear a big shout out for this trio of Magnificent Monochrome Graylings here in Montes Universales with Team Mariposa. Got to love the super smart Striped Grayling😍 #mariposanaturetours #butterfliesofmontesuniversales #europeanbutterflies #lovethembutterfies
For tomorrow evening i wish you all- Cloudless skies Far horizons 🌕🌞
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.
Always lovely to find Spanish Chalkhill Blue. Especially individuals as fresh as this one. Just one of the many highlights on Day 4 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social Monte Universales holiday.
