Category: Greece 2024

We took a guided trip to Northern Greece in June 2024. It was a butterflying and birding holiday, although there were also plenty of moths, the odd lizard and a jackal. I took a lot of photos but have finally sorted and processed the butterflies. It was too hot and dry much of the time, but we still managed to see at least 70 species of the possible 120 or so that are present in the region. Compare this to the mere 60 we have in the UK, many of which are rarely seen.

Some of the butterflies we saw in Greece. Of this small collection, only the Wall Brown and the Clouded Yellow are seen in the UK. The latter usually only as a rare migrant or occasionally in larger numbers in a so-called irruption year.

Balkan Copper, Lycaena candens
Balkan Marbled White, Melanargia larissa
Clouded Yellow, Colias croceus
Eastern Baton Blue, Pseudophilotes vicrama
Ilex Hairstreak, Satyrium ilicis
Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Leptotes pirithous
Little Tiger Blue, Tarucus balkanicus, aka Balkan Pierrot
Mallow Skipper, Carcharodus alceae
Queen of Spain Fritillary, Issoria lathonia
Scarce Swallowtail, Iphiclides podalirius, aka Sail Swallowtail
Sooty Copper, Lycaena tityrus
Wall Brown, Lasiommata megera
Nettle-tree Butterfly, Libythea celtis, aka European Beak

Butterflies of Greece Batch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

I’ve sorted through my moth photos from our recent Birding and Butterflying trip to Greece with Greenwings. I’m sure I saw a few more, but this is the list of 43 compiled from all my photos. NFM is “New for me”.

Common Name	Scientific Name	NFM
Black-veined Moth	Siona lineata	Y
Bright Wave	Idaea ochrata	Y
Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth	Hemaris fuciformis	Y
Brown China-mark	Elophila nymphaeata	Y
Burnet Companion	Euclidia glyphica	N
Catocala nymphaea	Catocala nymphaea	Y
Chrysocrambus cassentiniellus	Chrysocrambus cassentiniellus	Y
Common Heath	Ematurga atomaria	N
Crambus perlella	Crambus perlella	N
Crocidosema plebejana	Crocidosema plebejana	Y
Dingy Shell	Euchoeca nebulata	Y
Chequered Wave	Idaea moniliata	Y
Dotted Border Wave	Idaea sylvestraria	Y
Euclasta splendidalis	Euclasta splendidalis	Y
Eucosma cana	Eucosma cana	N
Euplocamus ophisa	Euplocamus ophisa	Y
Five-spot Burnet	Zygaena trifolii	N
Forester	Adscita statices	Y
The Geometrician	Grammodes stolida	Y
Grass Rivulet	Perizoma albulata	Y
Gypsy Moth	Lymantria dispar	N
The Handmaid	Dysauxes ancilla	Y
Hummingbird Hawk-moth	Macroglossum stellatarum	N
Knot Grass	Acronicta rumicis	N
Lead Belle	Scotopteryx mucronata	Y
Mother Shipton	Callistege mi	N
Nine-spotted Moth	Amata phegea	Y
The Passenger	Dysgonia algira	Y
Poplar Grey	Acronicta megacephala	N
Purple-barred Yellow	Lythria cruentaria	Y
Pyrausta purpuralis	Pyrausta purpuralis	N
Ragades pruni	Ragades pruni	Y
Riband Wave	Idaea aversata	N
Rusty Dot Pearl	Udea ferrugalis	N
Silver Ground Carpet	Xanthorhoe montanata	Y
Six-spot Burnet	Zygaena filipendulae	N
Slender Scotch Burnet	Zygaena loti	Y
Small Fan-footed Wave	Idaea biselata	Y
Speckled Yellow	Pseudopanthera macularia	Y
Spotted Sulfur	Emmelia trabealis	Y
Spurge Hawk-moth	Hyles euphorbiae	Y
Transparent Burnet	Zygaena purpuralis	Y
Treble-bar	Aplocera plagiata	N
Wood Tiger	Arctia plantaginis	Y

We were in Northern Greece near Lake Kerkini, staying in a village called Chrisochorafa and trekking the mountains and lakes, of what was known as Macedonia in ancient times. We were touched the border of present-day North Macedonia at one point and on another day were not too far from Bulgaria.

I recorded some 43 moths on our trip to Greece this year, and perhaps saw a few more micros of which I didn’t get photos. I’ve tabulated the full list as it stands in a separate post entitled Moths Matter in Macedonia.

As well chasing the obvious on our Greenwings butterflying and birding trip to Greece, there was also time for a few moths. Some during the day, some that overnighted in the stairwell of our little hotel, and some from fellow amateur Lepidopterist, Martine’s field trips around the village of Chrisochorafa. Thanks to Martine and Michael for IDs on the local species and for Mrs Sciencebase’s eagle eyes in spotting much of the wildlife.

Spotted my one and only clearwing moth of the trip, Pyropteron minianiformis, on our first day trekking through the disused Vironia Quarry. This was also where we saw our first Little Tiger Blue, Ilex Hairstreak, Clouded Yellow, and Nettle-tree butterflies, Masked Shrike, Levant Sparrowhawk and overhead Ravens too.

We also saw our first tortoise of the trip. We had seen our first Bee-eaters, White Stork, and Honey Buzzard en route, and heard our first frogs. There will be more about the birds and other wildlife in a subsequent post, once I have processed those photos.

The yellow and black micro moth with large, feathery antennae is a male Euplocamus ophisa (Tineidae). Spotted several of these in the stream-side woodland where the Glider butterflies were seen. No ID for the arachnid.

Mrs Sciencebase spotted the first Speckled Yellow (Pseudopanthera macularia, Geometridae) of the trip, at the Lailias Ski Centre, I think it was.

I spotted this large moth, Catocala nymphaea (Erebidae), which was roosting on a derelict building near a barely used dirt track we butterflied. It is related to Red Underwing, Crimson Underwing, Clifden Nonpareil, but, while it has orange on its hindwings, it is not an orange underwing.

The Geometrician, Grammodes stolida (Erebidae). Potted by Martine on her late-night field trip not far from Chrisochorafa.

Knot-grass (Acronicta rumicis, Noctuidae) larva feeding on spurge, I believe, Vironia Quarry

The filled band on this Riband Wave, Idaea aversata (Geometridae), is rather more pink than I have seen before.

We were watching lots of butterflies and the nectaring Hummingbird Hawk-moths on a purple patch of vetch at the side of the road up towards the Lailias Ski Centre when a couple of Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, (Hemaris fuciformis, Sphingidae) put in a timely appearance.

Michael spotted a couple of Spurge Hawk-moth (Hyles euphorbiae, Sphingidae) larvae feeding on some roadside spurge, like they do.

Early-morning phone snap of a long-legged moth which was roosting at dawn at our accommodation. Euclasta splendidalis (Crambidae) is restricted to SE Europe onwards to Turkey and the Middle East. The food plant is a vine called Periploca graeca (Asclepiadaceae – Milkweed family).

There were lots of Nine-spotted Moth around on our wanderings. They are also known as the Yellow-belted Burnet (Amata phegea, Erebidae) or in Michael’s parlance, the “lazy moth” on account of their general indolence.

Wood Tiger (Parasemia plantaginis, Erebidae) spotted and potted by Martine before being released back on site for a photo or two.

The Passenger (Dysgonia algira, Noctuidae) was fluttering around the hotel stairwell with several micros when we returned from our evening meal with the Little Owls.

Black-veined Moth (Siona lineata, Geometridae), not to be confused with the Black-veined White butterfly, which we also saw.

The Handmaid

The Macedonia of my blog headline refers to the ancient Greek region which coincides with the area of modern, northern Greece where we were staying and exploring. North Macedonia was west of us, just over the border. At one point, we were within a few metres of the North Macedonian border patrol as we headed for a known site – the woodland and scrub around the Doiran Memorial – seeking, unsuccessfully as it turned out, the Tessellated Skipper butterfly.