Postcard from the field, from tour co-leader @dunnjons.bsky.social in France: That's a wrap on this year's Summer Orchids of the French Alps tour. We've seen some fabulous orchids, including the mythical Ghost Orchid, and many beautiful alpine wildflowers besides. We'll be back next year!

Tour update 🚨 The early bird gets the worm! Our Early Bird deal* on 2027 tours is proving popular - next year's tours are filling fast: A Spring in Provence is now fully booked. Spaces remain on other tours: www.mariposanature.com/calendar *£150 off if booked before 1 Dec 2026.

The king of the mountains. Vastly outnumbered this past week by its more diminutive and high altitude cousin, Small Apollo, we were nonetheless treated to some great encounters with Apollo while orchid-hunting in the French Alps on our @mariposanature.bsky.social tour.

My 2 Wider Countryside butterfly recording squares on Lulworth Army ranges felt like the end of days, with brown grass and very few butterflies left. Just the odd Meadow Brown, Wall, Small Heath +whites in 4 km. And one very worn Lulworth Skipper @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

Today was Blue Monday, in the very best of ways, with seven species of gentian seen in flower here in the French Alps with the @mariposanature.bsky.social tour I'm co-leading with @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social.

Good morning and welcome to a new week! Our featured tour this week is Orchids of Sicily. Led by Sicilian native and naturalist legend Andrea Corso, guests will be in for a feast of outstanding orchids, great food, and local culture. www.mariposanature.com/tours/botani...

Butterfly bonus today in the French Alps at 2,700masl - some fine, fresh Silky Ringlet.

This female Common Blue was back laying eggs in my Sheffield garden meadow again today. Surely, surely, there may be progeny next year.....

If there's more fun to be had than wandering around a mountaintop with friends looking for alpine wildflowers, I'd very much like to know about it. Today was another enjoyable day with the @mariposanature.bsky.social group I'm co-leading with my good pal @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social.

A fair personal shift put in today - 16 kilometres walked, almost 1,000 metres of cumulative elevation gain. And here are the two personal highlights - self-found Silky Ringlet and, most thrillingly, Swiss Brassy Ringlet. Delighted to share both with our @mariposanature.bsky.social guests.

Postcard from the field from tour leader @dunnjons.bsky.social, wrapping up the final day of our exclusive Austrian alpine butterfly tour: Today's been a wonderful finale to a resoundingly successful inaugural butterfly tour in this lovely country. We can't wait to return next year.

Jon Dunn@dunnjons.bsky.social · last wk.

Final full day of the Butterflies of the Hohe Tauern tour I'm co-leading for @mariposanature.bsky.social, and while I could post an 'obscure rarity', let's simply share this lovely pair of Dryad. Today was dripping with Dryad, bringing much joy to our group.

Final full day of the Butterflies of the Hohe Tauern tour I'm co-leading for @mariposanature.bsky.social, and while I could post an 'obscure rarity', let's simply share this lovely pair of Dryad. Today was dripping with Dryad, bringing much joy to our group.

Postcard from the field, from tour leader @dunnjons.bsky.social in Austria: To say today was a brilliant day would be an understatement - we found two new Erebia ringlets, not only the sought-after Water Ringlet, but also a colony of Swiss Brassy Ringlet, way east of its normal range.

And sure enough, there were more Mountain Fritillary to be seen too up there in the heights yesterday. These ones making more Mountain Fritillary...

Jon Dunn@dunnjons.bsky.social · 2w ago

Another day, another mountain... Morning coffee being drunk now and looking out of the window, sizing up another day in the field with our @mariposanature.bsky.social group. There will be Mountain Fritillary, certainly. And more besides.

A first for my Bournemouth garden, a female Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) egglaying on Bird’s-foot trefoil.

Penultimate day of my Spanish trip and a fantastic day in the eastern hills of the Sierra Nevada butterfly watching with @lojawildlife.bsky.social . Silver-spotted Skipper, Niobe Fritillary and Apollo amongst the highlights.

Tour update 🚨 The 2027 edition of Butterflies of the Hautes Pyrenees, led by @chrisvanswaay.eurosky.social & Mariposa founder David Moore, has taken its first booking within 24 hours of dates being confirmed. We expect this one to fill quickly. www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

Found this female Common Blue butterfly laying eggs in my Sheffield garden meadow today. The first female I've seen here in the 16 years since the meadow was created. It'll be interesting to see if it finally starts a colony!

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...

Such is the brilliance of butterflies on the @mariposanature.bsky.social French Alps tour, that yesterday we reached 150 spp for the week! Esper's Marbled White, Ripart's Anomalous Blue, Hermit, Lesser Purple Emperor, and more... @selbypaul.bsky.social

Postcard from the field from superb Team Mariposa tour leader @selbypaul.bsky.social: 150 species of butterflies now recorded in the space of a week on our Butterflies of the French Alps tour. A new record. It's hard to overstate just what a brilliant destination this is. Well done to all involved!

Paul Selby@selbypaul.bsky.social · 4w ago

Dusky Grizzled Skipper! Species 150 on Day 7 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social French Alps holiday. With one day left, that's 13 more species than any 8 day trip, anywhere in Europe, ever, by any wildlife holiday company. Proud to be part of the amazing Mariposa team! 🦋

The 2027 edition of the now record-breaking Butterflies of the French Alps tour is available to book, already a guaranteed departure, will generate a donation to @europebutterfly.bsky.social, and any bookings made before 1 Dec 2026 enjoy a £150 discount: www.mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

Butterflies of the French Alps

Of all butterfly destinations in Europe, the French Alps has to be up there amongst the richest. Starting near the southern end of the Alpes Maritimes and working our way north, we encounter a phenome...

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Dusky Grizzled Skipper! Species 150 on Day 7 of the @mariposanature.bsky.social French Alps holiday. With one day left, that's 13 more species than any 8 day trip, anywhere in Europe, ever, by any wildlife holiday company. Proud to be part of the amazing Mariposa team! 🦋

Words hardly convey how brilliant the butterflies on the @mariposanature.bsky.social French Alps tour were yesterday: 100s of fritillaries - inc. Cynthia's, Mountain, Shepherd's, Niobe; Alpine Blue, ringlets, skippers, etc. You had to almost force yourself to look up at the spectacular scenery

Postcard from the field from tour leader @cach22.bsky.social, currently in the French Alps with our Summer Butterflies of the French Alps group: Absolute scenes! 🦋 #butterflies @europebutterfly.bsky.social

Brian Small@cach22.bsky.social · 4w ago

Words hardly convey how brilliant the butterflies on the @mariposanature.bsky.social French Alps tour were yesterday: 100s of fritillaries - inc. Cynthia's, Mountain, Shepherd's, Niobe; Alpine Blue, ringlets, skippers, etc. You had to almost force yourself to look up at the spectacular scenery

Esper's Marbled White. Species 142 in just 6 days on the @mariposanature.bsky.social French Alps holiday. It smashes the RECORD for any European butterfly holiday ANYWHERE EVER. Big thanks to our 10 current guests for their curious eyes. Also for the location info from a kind supporter

We love a good dip! 🌊 (Though not of the birding lexicon 'missing seeing something' kind, 'cos we're all about seeing our target species here at Mariposa... 😎) So an #AquaticPlants theme for this week's @wildflowerhour.bsky.social challenge is a lovely choice. Thank you WFH!

wildflowerhour@wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 4w ago

With warmer temperatures forecast for the end of the week hopefully you’ll appreciate a watery theme for this week’s challenge! Find wild or naturalised aquatic plants in bloom and share for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #AquaticPlants 💦🌱

Last day of @mariposanature.bsky.social Spanish Pyrenees holiday finished on a high with unexpected find of a Dryad on the scree slopes on the Spanish/French border. Thanks to Peter & Pau for excellent guiding - a brilliant holiday with over 100 species.

Extraordinary numbers of butterflies on my farm survey for @nationaltrust.org.uk on semi-improved but ungrazed field. Literally thousands of Gatekeepers and Marbled Whites, 100s Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and tens Brown Argus. Shows what riches could be out there. @savebutterflies.bsky.social