Zygaena fausta - multiple examples on the 1st of September
On the 27th of August, I was part of a long hike (randonnée gourmand) which wended through the dirt roads and fields of the Nièvre area of France. During that walk and in one stretch of the road, there were wildflowers on either side of the road. I, of course, looked for signs of insect life and noted that there were several ‘new’ moths represented. I took a photo with my telephone and sent it onto @philipmarkosso who correctly identified it as Zygaena fausta (possibly subspecies ‘perornata Le Charles’). I had not seen that moth before, but then I was 1.5 hours south of my home near the village of Dornecy.
‘In Burgundy, it is traditionally well represented in the Jurassic limestone zone of the South of Yonne and the Dijon Mountain, as well as throughout the Burgundy coast; it reaches its limit of continuous distribution towards the northeast of the region (very localized in the south of Haute-Marne, and unknown in Haute-Saône). A few satellite populations, very localized and tenuous, with very reduced gene exchanges, exist in Sénonais (Yonne) and Nivernais.’ Quoting Ref: http://www.bourgogne-nature.fr/fichiers/bnhs13-cahiers-ld-p438-439-zygene-de-la-petite-coronille_1455790175.pdf
I decided to go back to that very spot yesterday, 1st of September, to see if I could get a proper photo with my camera instead of the telephone. Indeed, I noted numerous specimens all over the Knautia arvensis and Centaurea. I have uploaded 11 examples of this moth.
The day was not hot (about 20 C), with very little wind but was sunny. No rain. The road was a dirt road with fields of sunflowers on one side and a grain field on the other side (both already harvested) with the flowery vegetation on either side of the road. Besides the moths, there were numerous butterfly species represented, ie, Colias croceus, Brintesia circe, Polyommatus icarus and Issoria lathonia.
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