Spring butterflies of Andalucía

We'll be at a couple of spots along Almería's coast on the look out for highly localized species that only occur here within their European range. Two are the main targets today: Common Tiger Blue and Desert Orange Tip. Later on, a foray into a canyon may produce other desirables, paticularly African Grass Blue.  Despite being a bit early in the calendar for Two-tailed Pasha, we'll give them a chance in a location they've recently colonized.

Night in the surroundings of Motril.

We'll pack our belongings and head northwest after breakfast. This is a transfer journey that will include a couple of relaxed butterfly stops. Our first butterfly quest of the day will take us to a high limestone valley near Antequera, known as the Sierra de Camarolos. This is one of the best butterfly hotspots in the Málaga province and should produce a nice array of species, including several Fritillaries and Blues. Today we may picnic in these beautiful mouintains.

Moving on we will make a second stop at a ravine in the Guadalteba region to look for Spanish Gatekeeper and -fingers crossed- the very scarce Aetherie Fritillary.

Night in the surroundings of Ronda.

Today we will visit a selection of nearby butterfly spots that Alvaro has been tracking over the years. We'll try to get some species we may be still missing, but it will be a more relaxed journey with free time in the late afternoon for those who want to explore the charming town of Ronda.

Today we'll explore the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, one of the greenest corners of Southern Spain. This protected area is a known biodiversity hotspot within Western Europe. Among the butterflies we'll be looking for here we can outline Aetherie and Spanish Fritillary, two very localized species. Another highlight of the day may be Lorquin's Blue. We will also pass by some picturesque "White Villages" and enjoy stunning scenery throughout the day.

Night in the surroundings of Ronda.

South of Ronda we can find Spain's most recently declared National Park, the Sierra de las Nieves National Park. Here we hope to get fascinated by a nice array of orchids and butterflies. We will have the chance to contribute with our observations here to the European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, as Álvaro created a transect here back in 2021. Our statistics point we should be able to register Black-veined White, Small Heath and hopefully Marsh Fritillary. We will also drive to other more remote areas of the Park to look for False Baton Blue.

Night in the surroundings of Ronda.

After a relaxed breakfast we'll head back to Málaga for departure. A last brief stop for butterflies on the way would be possible if flight times allow for that.