PTKButterflies
My butterfly photographs
A European and Mediterranean perspective
email me at ptkbutterflies@gmail.com
Species depicted = 245 ( of 496 species)
On this site you can see images of many European butterfly species. It is not complete, but is a work in progress, I make additions every year. Whether you are a passionate butterfly enthusiast, or simply a lover of nature, there will be something in these pages for you.
Navigate by the Species image List button to find any of my images, by species.
What's new
2024 arrived. I've been branching out and photographing butterflies in far flung places. I think I might start adding some species pages for US, Australian, Far Eastern and Central American species. Unfortunately they are never going to be exhaustive, and will contain only a representative bunch of pics. There are however some real beauties and I hope you like any that appear this year.
2023 started in May with one new species for me, Melanargia occitanica - seen near Marseilles. Then on to Croatia in July which again bought one new species, Polyommatus admetus, along with new images to add to the pages for Polyommatus amanda, Everes argiades, Pyrgus carthami, Hipparchia senthes, Polyommatus semiargus, Satyrium ilicis, acaciae and spini, Lycaena virgaureae, Brethnis daphne, Melitaea diamina and Melitaea didyma. Quite a bunch!
2022 produced more opportunities for me to add to my European species images, adding Erebia pronoe and Hyponephele lycaon to my slowly expanding encounters. Improved images of Everes argiades and Polyommatus damon, and Lycaena virgaurae with females of that species and Everes alcetas have filled in gaps. Aricia artaxerxes, Leptidea sinapis, Erebia aethiops and Erebia tyndarus pages have more photos added
I2021 was much the same as 2020 in terms of butterfly adventures, but new images of Coenonympha tullia ( ssp. scotica), Aphantopus hyperantus, Cupido minimus, Hamearis lucina and Satyrium w-album have been added, again within relatively easy travelling distance of home.
In 2020 the world was a victim to Covid and my photography was limited to my home patch. So only the occasional addition.
In 2019 despite limited opportunities, five definite new species, the first two from Southern Spain, Pseudophilotes abencerragus, and Gegenes nostradamus, were added to this site. Another, likely but not entirely certain, Polyommatus celina, recently split from icarus, was photographed, and is represented until more definite images have been obtained. Further new images of Euchloe crameri, Thymelicus acteon, Pyronia bathseba and Melitaea deione were added. The other three new species were Muschampia proto, Hipparchia statilinus and Charaxes jasius, added after a September visit to Southern Italy. Further images of Lampides boeticus, Pieris mannii, Leptotes pirithous and Pontia edusa have been added. I have chosen to also add a provisional further new species, Hipparchia neapolitana, even though I cannot be absolutely certain of the accuracy of identification, and this completes 2019.
In 2018 I ventured North into Finnmark, in the region of Alta, Norway.
It is a testing region to visit, as species emergences vary by year according to the changeable and unpredictable weather. I was fortunate to find and photograph several new species, and local forms of others with Southern ranges, such as Colias palaeno, Boloria aquilonaris, Boloria thore borealis, Lycaeana phlaeas polaris, Polyommatus icarus, Plebejus idas and Plebejus opilete . The new species were Colias hecla, Boloria polaris, Erebia polaris, Erebia disa,
Oeneis bore and Agriades aquilo.
In 2017 I visited the Haute-Savoie once again. During my time there in early June, I travelled south to the Drome for Hairstreaks, new images of esculi and spini, and east to Switzerland and Italy, where I saw my only new species for the year, Neptis rivularis. Otherwise there are new images of several species, most notably ilia, achine,
In 2016 I visited the Haute Savoie again, and later the Midi Pyrenees, venturing down into Northern Spain. During the latter visit I encountered six new species to me: Erebia rondoui, Polyommatus ripartii, Polyommatus ripartii agenjoi, Polyommatus fulgens, Carcharodus lavatherae and Aricia cramera. There are new pages dedicated to these sightings. The Erebia manto page has been updated to include my encounters with the Pyrennean form constans. and additionally there are new images of Aricia eumedon from the Alps, Polyommatus dorylas and Coenonympha dorus from the Pyrenees, and a few others.