Eco Hvar

Hvar's Butterflies

Published in Nature Watch

Marion Podolski casts her expert artistic eye over Hvar's butterflies.

Hvar butterfly at work, July 2016 Hvar butterfly at work, July 2016 Vivian Grisogono

Butterflies always seem so fragile, so transient. So it came as quite the surprise when I read that (a) there are butterfly fossils dating back around 56 million years, and (b) the Painted Lady appears to hold the record for the longest return migration, from Africa to the Arctic circle and back!

Painted lady

Vanessa cardui ~ Painted lady ~ Stričkovac

This photograph was taken at Vorh on Hvar, altitude around 500 metres. European ivy is known for having flowers high in nectar, and was swarming with butterflies and bees in September. The Painted lady migrates from North Africa and the Mediterranean northwards in the springtime, and southwards in the autumn. The 9,000 mile round trip between tropical Africa and the Arctic circle may take as many as 6 generations! Was this butterfly on a refuelling stop for its Autumn migration?

This summer I’ve been more aware of butterflies on Hvar, possibly due to my recent interest in wildflowers. It’s a good sign, as flowers and butterflies mean a healthy ecosystem. Though sometimes they were nowhere near any flowers!

Red admiral

Vanessa atalanta ~ Red Admiral ~ Ljepokrili admiral

As I was sitting on the Soline beach near Vrboska, painting with my art group, this visitor was very interested in my paintbox! Luckily I had my phone to hand, and managed to capture the moment! And as I didn’t really feel that paints were proper nourishment, being toxic and all, I closed up the box, so it decided to try some wine instead!

Red admiral likes a glass of wine

My Red admiral likes a glass of wine!

While some (adult) butterflies live only for a few days, other species survive for almost a full year. Those living longer can feed on nectar from flowers, and they are in fact important pollinators for some kinds of plants. Although they can’t carry as much pollen as bees, they are able to take it over longer distances. They’ll also sip water (and wine!), are sometimes  attracted to dung, rotting fruit, or the salt in human sweat for other essential minerals and nutrients. Their “taste” receptors are apparently located on their feet, so they can determine whether a leaf is suitable for laying eggs on (ie the caterpillar kids can eat it!)

Red admiral underside

Red admiral underside

I spotted this Red admiral near the peak of Sv Nikola, up in the high country (628 metres). Good view of the underside of the wing. Red admirals also migrate, spending summer in northern Europe, and winter near the Mediterranean.

In Croatian, a butterfly is called a leptir, for once easy to remember as it’s clearly related to lepidoptera (from the ancient Greek  lepís=scale + pterón=wing). It’s less certain why the English saw any association with butter, though the name has been around for some time in old Dutch and German. Were there only yellow butterflies in northern Europe, I wonder?

Two-tailed pasha also going for my wine

Charaxes jasius ~ Two-Tailed Pasha ~ vještica

Another butterfly that was keen to share our wine was this Two-tailed Pasha with exceptional taste at restaurant Laganini on Palmižana! It did, in fact, take a dive headfirst into my glass and had to be rescued at the expense of the wine!

Two-tailed pasha

Two-Tailed Pasha enjoying some lemon sorbet

A fine butterfly, and a great poser with his proboscis stuck into a drop of lemon sorbet (with vodka and prosecco) for a good long drink! Two-tailed pashas produce two generations in a season, flying May/June and August/October. Clearly, they also like a drink!

Two-tailed pasha underside

Two-tailed pasha underside and clear view of head

The beautiful colour of butterfly wings is due to the scales. While the dark blacks and browns are melanin pigments, and yellows come from uric acid and flavones, the other bright blues, greens, reds and iridescence are all caused by the structure of the scales and hairs.

Cardinal

Argynnis pandora ~ Cardinal ~ Pandorin šarenac

Meanwhile, back at the popular ivy flowers, was this lovely Cardinal which is a fairly common butterfly around southern Europe from April to September. Sadly the photograph doesn’t quite do justice to the shimmer of that pale green colour. Very pretty in real life!

Cardinal in Stari Grad

Cardinal in Stari Grad

The second Cardinal was spotted in a garden in Stari Grad. Good view of the antennae, and the proboscis stuck into the flower. It looks to have only 4 legs, but that’s apparently normal for some types of butterflies, the front two legs are much reduced.

Wall brown

Lasiommata megera ~ Wall Brown ~ mali pjegavac

Hmmm, the field notes say the Wall brown is very alert and difficult to approach for taking photos – well, that’s certainly true! This guy was spotted beside the path on the way up to Sv Nikola, and this is the best photograph I could manage!

A recent (2011-13) study of butterflies on Hvar recorded 49 species, some of which are very rare within Croatia. All in all, 57 species have been recorded on Hvar, giving it 4th place among the islands for butterfly diversity. I have a long way to go to spot all those!

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

© Marion Podolski 2016

More about Croatia’s butterflies:

Project Noah: Butterflies and Moths of Croatia

Euro Butterflies by Matt Rowlings

Wikipedia list of butterflies and moths in Croatia

Annoted list of Croatian butterflies with vernacular names (PDF file for download)

Contribution to the knowledge of the butterfly fauna on the Adriatic island of Hvar, Croatia

This article has been reproduced with kind permission from Marion's blog Go Hvar, Ramblings about a far island. Visit the blog for all kinds of information about Hvar, from artistic to epicurean!

Related items

More in this category: « Autumn update from Dol, 2016 Cranes in flight »
back to top
You are here: Home Nature Watch Hvar's Butterflies

Eco Environment News feeds

  • £3.5m of Tory donations linked to pollution and climate denial, says report

    Millions given to party and MPs last year came from entities linked to fossil fuels, high-polluting industries and climate denial

    The Conservative party received £3.5m from individuals and entities linked to climate denial, fossil fuels and high-pollution industries last year, according to new analysis.

    The climate website DeSmog analysed Electoral Commission records, which show that the party and its MPs received funds from the aviation and construction industries, mining and oil interests, and individuals linked to the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), a thinktank which has denied the legitimacy of climate science.

    Continue reading...

  • Plants emit ultrasonic sounds in rapid bursts when stressed, scientists say

    Thirsty or damaged plants produce up to 50 staccato pops in an hour, which nearby creatures may respond to, researchers find

    There comes a time in a plant’s life when the head sags, the leaves go pale and the body releases a barrage of sounds that are the ultrasonic equivalent of stamping on bubble wrap.

    While any gardener is familiar with the wilting and discoloration that comes with drought, a shortage of water or a sudden wound can also prompt plants to produce staccato pops, which nearby creatures may respond to, scientists say.

    Continue reading...

  • United Nations adopts landmark resolution on climate justice

    Resolution hailed as ‘win for climate justice of epic proportions’ should make it easier to hold countries accountable for failures

    A UN resolution was adopted on Wednesday that should make it easier to hold polluting countries legally accountable for failing to tackle the climate emergency, in a vote which was hailed as a historic victory for climate justice.

    The UN general assembly adopted by consensus the resolution spearheaded by Vanuatu, a tiny Pacific island nation vulnerable to extreme climate effects, and youth activists to secure a legal opinion from the international court of justice (ICJ) to clarify states’ obligations to tackle the climate crisis – and specify any consequences countries should face for inaction.

    Continue reading...

  • The Guardian view on a water crisis: targets need to be binding | Editorial

    The global response to an escalating water crisis is belated and inadequate. But last week’s UN conference was an important marker

    The more than 700 pledges that emerged from the UN water conference, which concluded last weekend, were an insufficient response to the worsening global water crisis. But the scientific panel that the UN has committed to create, along with a new water envoy, should help bring greater clarity and raise awareness of the multiplying risks. These include sea level rises, floods, droughts and other extreme weather caused by global heating, and the lack of access of about 2 billion people to clean drinking water. The trouble is that the commitments made by attenders – who included very few world leaders – are voluntary and unenforceable. Given the broken climate pledges of the past, there is every reason to worry that the promises will not be kept.

    Many participants in the three days of talks in New York were angered by the prominent role played by corporations, including manufacturers who are heavy users of water, and the lack of representation of grassroots organisations from the poorer countries that are the worst affected. As with recent reports of the influence of oil companies in US universities, there are growing concerns about the ways in which businesses are seeking to shape environmental legislation, and public understanding of the threats, to promote their own short-term economic interests.

    Continue reading...

  • Barcelona green space plan could improve health of 30,000, study finds

    Creating more green areas could also save up to £40m a year in costs linked to mental health issues, say researchers

    An ambitious push to create more green spaces in Barcelona – a city with one of the highest population and traffic densities in Europe – could improve the health of more than 30,000 people, reduce the use of antidepressants and save up to €45m (£40m) annually in costs associated with mental health issues, research suggests.

    It builds on a growing body of evidence that has linked urban green spaces to better mental wellbeing as well as the prevention of depression, anxiety and insomnia.

    Continue reading...

  • Switzerland and France accused of lack of climate action in ECHR hearing

    Group of Swiss women and French ex-mayor suing their governments in first such cases heard by rights court

    The governments of Switzerland and France have been accused of breaching the human rights of their citizens by not acting decisively enough on climate change, at a landmark legal hearing in Strasbourg.

    A panel of judges at the European court of human rights heard petitions from a group of Swiss women and a French former mayor seeking to bolster climate action in their countries. Although climate litigation has spread quicklyaround the world, these are the first such cases to be heard by the ECHR.

    Continue reading...

  • Melting Antarctic ice predicted to cause rapid slowdown of deep ocean current by 2050

    New research by Australian scientists suggests 40% slowdown in just three decades could alter world’s climate for centuries

    Melting ice around Antarctica will cause a rapid slowdown of a major global deep ocean current by 2050 that could alter the world’s climate for centuries and accelerate sea level rise, according to scientists behind new research.

    The research suggests if greenhouse gas emissions continue at today’s levels, the current in the deepest parts of the ocean could slow down by 40% in only three decades.

    Continue reading...

  • UK is Europe’s worst private jet polluter, study finds

    UK tops all league tables for highly polluting form of travel, with a flight taking off every six minutes last year

    The UK is the private jet capital of Europe, with more flights than anywhere else on the continent, analysis has found.

    Last year, a private jet set off from the UK once every six minutes, putting the country ahead of the rest of Europe when it comes to the extremely polluting form of travel. Many of these journeys have been called “polluting and pointless” by Greenpeace, as they are so short they could have easily been taken by train – and in one case, cycled in 30 minutes.

    Continue reading...

  • US puts Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico up for auction for oil drilling

    In latest blow to Joe Biden’s reputation as the ‘climate president’, 73.3m acres of the gulf will be offered for fossil fuel extraction

    An enormous swathe of the Gulf of Mexico, spanning an area the size of Italy, was put up for auction on Wednesday for oil and gas drilling, in the latest blow to Joe Biden’s increasingly frayed reputation on dealing with the climate crisis.

    The president’s Department of the Interior offered up a vast area of the central and western Gulf, including plunging deep water reaches, for drilling projects that will stretch out over decades, despite scientists’ urgent warnings that fossil fuels must be rapidly phased out if the world is to avoid disastrous global heating. The auctions also come despite Biden’s own pre-election promise to halt all drilling on federal lands and waters.

    Continue reading...

  • Country diary: The old oaks won’t believe it’s spring until they see it | Paul Evans

    The Marches, Montgomeryshire: The ones here, at the home of rebel leader Owain Glyndŵr, know how to wait till the coast is clear

    There is a moment when the old oaks hold fast to winter. Their centuries taught them about betrayal: sunshine before the lash of hail whips round the hill; sweet birdsong stiff with frost, late snows and other silences. They are reluctant to unclench buds, hesitant to loosen pollen smoke. That day, when the vernal equinox tips into the light, and we wind clocks forwards to return a stolen hour; when timbers shiver with a pulse that opens up the leaves across the land; is that now?

    Sycharth is a green ring in the valley a mile, as the crow flies, across the border into Montgomeryshire, Powys. It is a circular earthwork of a motte around the central mound of a bailey under a wooded hillside by the Cynllaith brook. On the ring are oaks and in the oaks are histories, and of those histories, the one about Owain Glyndŵr is the most famous.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds

  • Gordon Moore, digital pioneer and philanthropist, dies at 94

    Digital pioneer, business leader and philanthropist Gordon Moore died at his home in Hawaiʻi on March 24. While Moore was best known as a titan of the tech world, his contributions to the natural world were equally pathbreaking.

  • 3 things our experts loved in March

    Conservation International is powered by 1,500 people in more than 30 countries — their interests, like their hometowns, are all over the map. In this monthly feature, we highlight three things that kept our experts busy while off the clock.

  • After nearly 50 years, water back on the global agenda

    This week, the United Nations holds its first global freshwater conference in nearly 50 years. In the years since, the global population has doubled — yet the challenges facing the health of, and access to, freshwater resources have been largely overshadowed by the climate and biodiversity crises.

  • Experts see hope in gloomy climate report

    Humanity is set to blow past 1.5°C of planetary warming by the early 2030s, according to a new report released today by the U.N. But the report also offers hope in the form of actions that could avert the worst impacts of climate change.

  • Study: Patterns of wildlife 'range loss' could offer clues for conservation

    More than one million species are at risk of extinction largely because they are being pushed out of places where they have long lived — known as “ranges.” But not all range loss looks the same.

  • Why a new treaty to protect the high seas is a ‘game-changer’

    Roughly two-thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national boundaries in an area known as the “high seas” — yet only about 1 percent of that largely unexplored expanse has been protected. Now, nearly 200 countries have agreed on the first-ever United Nations treaty to protect the high seas.

  • What on Earth is ‘HFLD’? (Hint: It’s about forests)

    From “blue carbon” to “ecosystem services,” environmental jargon is everywhere. Conservation International looks to make sense of it in an occasional explainer series. In this installment, we explore the role “HFLDs,” play in storing climate-warming carbon.

  • On carbon offsets, Wirecutter story doesn’t cut it

    A recent article claims that buying carbon offsets for your flight doesn't help the climate crisis. This conclusion is bafflingly wrong: Paying to protect an area of forest to offset the climate footprint of your flight does in fact — demonstrably and verifiably — help.

  • The year ahead: Climate change is here. Nature can help

    For millions of people around the world who are learning to survive in the face of droughts, floods and more frequent storms, climate change is not a future problem — it’s here now. Nature can be a powerful ally in adapting to these impacts.

  • News spotlight: A climate hero emerges — beavers

    Increasing drought and urban expansion have contributed to the destruction and degradation of 35 percent of the world’s wetlands. How might we stymie this decline? Introducing beavers back into their natural habitats is a good start.

Copyright © 2023 Eco Hvar. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Orion Informatika.