The weather during our week was so sunny and settled that it was insects arguably that formed the larger part of our wildlife-watching. Fortunately we had several pairs of very sharp eyes on hand to find them for the rest of the group! What follows is a barely annotated selection : the tour report when it appears will have a much more complete listing of names and locations.
Starting with some of the butterflies, Cleopatras in particular were more numerous than I have ever seen before:
Special mention must however be made of the Two-tailed Pashas. Sa Roca is an ideal site for them, with masses of their larval foodplant Strawberry-tree, but never have our searches here been so productive:
Many a leaf was adorned with an egg, those with a ring around the apex being closer to hatching …
… along with a couple of medium-sized, dragon-headed caterpillars…
… and eventually one, probably two, adults, one of which surveyed the admiring throng from the roadside fringe of Aleppo Pine.
Yes, I know I have a passion for pashas, but so do many others: see this lovely film that Jude found on YouTube (3) The Two tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) – YouTube!
Moths too were at times spectacular, including the tutti-frutti treat of Crimson Speckleds, at several sites but especially around Matchani Gran, Vestals (here distinctly non-virginal) and Hummers everywhere…
And not just the adult stages, but caterpillars too: two of the most appreciated sightings were the larvae of Spurge Hawk-moth and Convolvulus Hawk-moth…
A quick canter trough the other invertebrate groups starts with the grasshoppers, bush-crickets and mantises, bigger and better at this time of year than any other:
Fresh and brackish water-bodies provided for a colourful array of dragonfly and damselfly species:
True bugs also were many and varied…
… including one. as yet un-named, that for obvious reasons soon acquired the working name of Nightjar Bug!
Bees and wasps included both adults and their nests:
And finally, the beetles: who cannot love the Cistus Hedgehog Beetles!
Moving away from insects, even the snails are unfamiliar…
… while the spiders and relatives were simply spectacular, from the Balearic Scorpion, and Garden Spider…
… through an array of jumpers …
,…to Cage-web and Tidy Spiders, the latter lining their prey remains neatly down the centre axis of the web, while hiding amongst the debris …
… and best of all, two types of Wasp Spider. I overlooked the second species until detailed examination of my photos: in my defence, even the ‘normal’ Wasp Spiders were huge, and almost as big as the Large Wasp Spiders, which are so powerful they could even overpower an Egyptian Locust!
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 1 – Introduction
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 2 – Flowers and fruits
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 3 – Insects and spiders
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 4 – Birds and other vertebrates
Autumn in Menorca with Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays: Part 5 – Landscapes of the island