After my wonderful experience in leading two Naturetrek groups there in 2016 (link), I visited the peninsula of Gargano (Puglia) once again in April 2018, together with my friend Luca Sattin, truly a moth-man. During just three, particularly intense, days we found about 40 species and forms of orchids, 50 species of birds, 20 of butterflies and 75 of moths!
I suppose that I’ve told already enough about the peninsula in the previous post called “Gargano: the European hot-spot for orchids“, so I’m going to leave only my pics to tell by colours the feelings of that heaven, putting them just in chronological order, going from the morning/evening moth-trap sections, to the field researches in daylight along the breathtaking Gargano meadows: I hope you will enjoy them!
Coronet (Craniophora ligustri)Cream-spot Tiger (Arctia villica)Barred Hook-tip (Watsonalla cultraria)Amephana auritaBroad-barred White (Hecatera bicolorata)Yellow Belle (Aspitates ochrearia)Silver Y (Autographa gamma)Giant Peacock Moth (Saturnia pyri)Mullein Wave (Scopula marginepunctata)Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)Late Spider-orchid (Ophrys holosericea apulica)Small-flowered Tongue-orchid (Serapias parviflora)Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis)Long-lipped Serapias (Serapias vomeracea longipetala)Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera)Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica melanoleuca)Pink Cistus (Cistus creticus)Pea (Pisum sativum)Roman Dactylorhiza (Dactylorhiza romana)Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea)Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca)Butterfly (Anacamptis papilionacea) and Green-winged Orchids (Anacamptis morio)Green-winged Orchids (Anacamptis morio)Hybrid between Butterfly and Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea X Anacamptis morio)Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio picta)Green-winged Orchids (Anacamptis morio)Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)Brown Argus (Aricia cf. agestis)Iris cf. bicapitataOphrys lutea siculaSawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera neglecta)Iris cf. bicapitataCommon Tongue-orchid (Serapias lingua)Four-spotted Orchid (Orchis quadripunctata)Ophrys promontoriiMan Orchid (Orchis anthropophora)Ophrys crabronifera biscutellaNaked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)Monte Sacro limestonesOphrys crabronifera biscutellaOphrys crabronifera biscutellaGreen-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio picta)Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio)Italian Festoon (Zerynthia cassandra)Blue Anemone (Anemone apennina)Aristolochia pallidaPurple Gromwell (Buglossoides purpurocaerulea)Viola merxmuelleri = Viola graecaBroad-leaved Anemone (Anemone hortensis)Ophrys lutea phryganaeSparse Flowered Orchids (Orchis pauciflora)Sparse Flowered Orchids (Orchis pauciflora) and Grape Hyacinths (Muscari neglectum)Ophrys lutea siculaSparse Flowered Orchid (Orchis pauciflora)Garden Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum cf. umbellatum)Ophrys exaltata archipelagi (a new one for me!)Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum), still growingMan (Orchis anthropophora) and Few-flowered Orchids (Orchis pauciflora)Four-spotted Orchid (Orchis quadripunctata)Meadow of Yellow Asphodels (Asphodeline lutea)Italian Festoon (Zerynthia cassandra)Man Orchid (Orchis anthropophora)Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera neglecta)Iris bicapitata ?Dark Ophrys (Ophrys incubacea)Ophrys passionis garganicaOphrys exaltata archipelagiRoman Orchid (Dactylorhiza romana)Butterfly Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea)Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum robertianum), almost overSmall Blue (Cupido minimus)Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)Common Rock-thrush (Monticola saxatilis)Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata)Ophrys passionis garganica, apochromatic individualAubrieta columnae italicaLady Orchids (Orchis purpurea)Ophrys lutea phryganaeOphrys passionis garganicaView from Monte Sant’AngeloOphrys lutea siculaWillow Beauty (Peribatodes cf. rhomboidaria)Anarta pugnaxMythimna cf. siculaAngle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)Lunar Double-stripe (Minucia lunaris)Acrobasis cf. obliquaCoronet (Craniophora ligustri)The Goldwing (Synthymia fixa)Dyscia innocentaria sicanariaOlive-tree Beauty (Peribatodes umbraria)Menophra cf. japygiariaPseudococcyx tessulatanaMenophra sp.Scarce Crimson-and-gold (Pyrausta sanguinalis)Giant Peacock Moth (Saturnia pyri)MattinataSmall Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)Bertoloni’s Bee Orchid (Ophrys bertolonii bertoloniformis)Ophrys siculaChapman’s Blue (Polyommatus thersites)Caterpillars of Ground Lackey (Malacosoma castrensis)Ophrys passionis garganicaOphrys lutea phryganaeBertoloni’s Bee Orchid (Ophrys bertolonii bertoloniiformis)Ophrys lutea phryganaeLady Orchid (Orchis purpurea)Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio picta), apochromatic individualNaked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)Milky Orchid (Neotinea lactea), almost over. A new species for me!Meadow of Naked Man Orchids (Orchis italica)Hybrid between Man and Naked Man Orchid (Orchis anthropophora X Orchid italica)Naked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)Ophrys mix (Ophrys promontorii, O. bertolonii bertolonii and O. bertolonii bertoloniformis)Ophrys promontoriiDyer’s Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria)Hoary Rockrose (Helianthemum oelandicum)Serapias bergonii (a new one for me!)Burnt Orchid (Neotinea ustulata)Carpet of flowers nearby Monte Sant’AngeloCoenotephria cf. ablutariaCarpet of orchids nearby Monte Sant’AngeloView into the Valle CarbonaraHybrid between Sawfly and Bertoloni’s Bee Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera X Ophrys bertolonii)Hybrid between Sawfly and Bertoloni’s Bee Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera X Ophrys bertolonii)Hybrid between Butterfly and Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea X Anacamptis morio)Ophrys passionis garganica, apochromaticBumblebee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora)Ophrys minipassionis & Ophrys passionis garganicaOphrys minipassionis (a new one for me!)Hybrid Ophrys tenthredinifera X O. promontorii ?Iris pseudopumilaLizard Orchid (Himantoglossum hircinum), still growingNaked Man Orchid (Orchis italica)Burnt Orchid (Neotinea ustulata)Meadow of Naked Man OrchidsEastern Serapias (Serapias orientalis apulica)Pyroderces argyrogrammosOrange Upperwing (Jodia croceago)Coleophora albella ?Sacred Scarab (Scarabaeus sacer)Pseudococcyx tessulatanaGreen Drab (Ophiusa tirhaca)Shargacucullia sp.Great Prominent (Peridea anceps)Treble-bar (Aplocera plagiata)Ophrys sipontensisItalian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus campestris)Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius)Ophrys oestrifera montis-garganiLate Spider-orchid (Ophrys holosericea apulica)Bumblebee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora)Small-flowered Tongue-orchid (Serapias parviflora)Long-lipped Serapias (Serapias vomeracea vomeracea)Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)Ophrys oestrifera montis-garganiLate Spider-orchid (Ophrys holosericea parvimaculata)Spring Cyclamen (Cyclamen repandum)Tongue Serapias (Serapias lingua)Late Spider-orchid (Ophrys holosericea parvimaculata)Heart-flowered Serapias (Serapias cordigera)Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis)Tongue Serapias (Serapias lingua)Slender Scotch Burnet (Zygaena loti)Ragusa’s Nine-spotted (Amata kruegeri)Heart-flowered Serapias (Serapias cordigera)
I would like to thanks, finally, Mihai Bobocea, Giovanni Quitadamo, Angela Rossini and Andrew Cleave that helped me in finding orchids, sharing informations and knowledge, and the kind and tireless Luca Sattin that accompanied me during my short and quick trip to Gargano!
Adriatic Nature 
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