Day 1 – Monday 8th May 2023: Arrival at Corfu airport and transfer to Hotel Apollon in Paleokastritsa.

Dependant on our flight times, having settled into our hotel there may be time for a walk before our evening meal.

Day 2 – Tuesday 9th May 2023: In search of the Southern Swallowtail – Papilio alexanor

Whilst our mapping of the Southern Swallowtail’s distribution is still incomplete, we do know that for this species (as is the case for many other species on Corfu) there is a lag between the emergence of lowland populations and those of the uplands and so this is our first opportunity to visit a lowland site near to Pendati where we intend for you to observe courtship and oviposition. If the season proves unpredictable, we will still have other opportunities to observe this butterfly in the upland context. We will also spend this first day familiarising ourselves with some of the common mid-season butterflies of Corfu. These include: Scarce Swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius, Common Swallowtail – Papilio machaon, Mallow Skipper – Carcharodus alceae, Oriental Marbled Skipper Muschampia orientalis, Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra, Clouded Yellow – Colias croceus, and Eastern Dappled White – Euchloe ausonia.

At the end of the day’s excursions, individuals may have the opportunity to explore the Corfu Lake District before departing for our evening meal.

Day 3 – Wednesday 10th May 2023: In search of the Eastern Orange Tip – Anthocharis damone

Whilst the EU Red Data Status (2010) classified the Eastern Orange Tip as of “least concern” its limited distribution on Corfu makes it vulnerable in the Ionian context. We will spend this day encountering other species of butterfly whilst tracking down new sightings of the Eastern Orange Tip to enable Corfu Butterfly Conservation to improve its mapping of this ‘vulnerable’ species’ distribution. Additional species may include: Scarce Swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius, Southern Swallowtail – Papilio alexanor, Common Swallowtail – Papilio machaon, Mallow Skipper – Carcharodus alceae, Grizzled Skipper – Pyrgus malvae, Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper – Pyrgus armoricanus, Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra, Clouded Yellow – Colias croceus, and Eastern Dappled White – Euchloe ausonia and Green underside Blue – Glaucopsyche alexis.

Day 4 – Thursday 11th May 2023: Exploring Mount Pantokrator and the surrounding area.

Today we will explore habitats on the slopes of Mount Pantokrator, which are representative of the older landscapes, to discover what butterflies can be found in these habitats now. 

Species may include: Scarce Swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius, Southern Swallowtail – Papilio alexanor, Common Swallowtail – Papilio machaon, Mallow Skipper – Carcharodus alceae, Oriental Marbled Skipper Muschampia orientalis, Grizzled Skipper – Pyrgus malvae, Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra, Clouded Yellow – Colias croceus, and Eastern Dappled White – Euchloe ausonia, Mazarine Blue – Cyaniris semiargus, Green underside Blue – Glaucopsyche alexis, Small Blue – Cupido minimus, Southern White Admiral – Limenitis reducta, Queen of Spain Fritillary – Issoria lathonia and Glanville Fritillary – Melitaea cinxia.

Day 5 – Friday 12th May: The Ropa Valley and tea with Mrs Durrell.

The Corfu Butterfly Survey has mapped a lot of the island but there are still holes in this mapping because of lower recording effort in those areas. During the morning you will be making a major contribution by investigating one of those areas. The Ropa valley was formally a lake that was drained and later used as pasture. In cursory visits we have encountered the Hungarian Skipper – Spialia orbifer, Grecian Copper – Lycaena ottomana, Large Tortoiseshell – Nymphalis polychloros and Glanville Fritillary – Melitaea cinxia but we don’t really know what to expect at this time of year and so, by visiting to find out, you will be contributing to the understanding of what species occur here.

In the afternoon, we will visit the home of Dr Lee Durrell, for tea, where we will meet her at Villa Louisa to see how she is managing her wild garden for butterflies and other animals. Lee has also agreed to sign copies of the Butterflies of Corfu posters for those who want one.

Species we may find in Lee’s garden include: Scarce Swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius, Common Swallowtail – Papilio machaon, Mallow Skipper – Carcharodus alceae, Grizzled Skipper – Pyrgus malvae, Wood White – Leptidea sinapis, Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra, Clouded Yellow – Colias croceus, and Eastern Dappled White – Euchloe ausonia, Small Copper – Lycaena phlaeas, Grecian Copper – Lycaena ottomana, Green underside Blue – Glaucopsyche alexis, Brown Argus Aricia agestis, Common Blue – Polyommatus icarus, Southern White Admiral – Limenitis reducta, Glanville Fritillary – Melitaea cinxia, Small Heath – Coenonnympha pamphilus and Meadow Browns – Maniola jurtina .

Day 6 – Saturday 13th May: The Lefki quarry walk and Roda Olive meadow.

A day in the uplands of Corfu will allow us to take in many remarkable vistas whilst on this circular walk which starts and ends in Lefki. In these limestone hills we will look for the Eastern Baton Blue – Pseudophilotes vicrama in its optimum habitat, as well as investigate the Nettle tree in the centre of Lefki for the larvae of the Nettle-tree Butterfly – Libythea celtis.

On our return from this walk we will visit the Olive grove meadows, in Roda, of Jane Barry, Corfu Butterfly Conservation’s top recorder. Here we will learn why Olive groves, properly managed, can be such great habitats for diverse Corfiot butterfly communities.

Additional species may include: Scarce Swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius, Southern Swallowtail – Papilio alexanor, Common Swallowtail – Papilio machaon, Mallow Skipper – Carcharodus alceae, Hungarian Skipper – Spialia orbifer, Oriental Marbled Skipper Muschampia orientalis, Grizzled Skipper – Pyrgus malvae, Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra, Clouded Yellow – Colias croceus, and Eastern Dappled White – Euchloe ausonia, Grecian Copper – Lycaena ottomana, Green underside Blue – Glaucopsyche alexis, Southern White Admiral – Limenitis reducta and Glanville Fritillary – Melitaea cinxia.

Day  7 – Sunday 14th May: The Big Corfu Butterfly Race.

How many butterfly species do you think you might be able to see in one day? On this day we will try to record as many species as we can, travelling to multiple sites and spurring ourselves on with enthusiasm. It has been described by a butterfly enthusiast as “the best day of butterflying in my life” and promises to be a day to remember!

Day 8: – Monday 15th May: Transfer to Corfu Airport

Our final day is once again dictated somewhat by our flight times but time permitting, we will make one last stop to the Kaiser’s chair. From this viewpoint on the central western coast which overlooks Corfu town and the countryside in between, we will look for species we may have missed before our continuing our return journey to the airport.

1. To encourage the continued growth of a responsible community of Corfu butterfly enthusiasts.
2. To survey the butterflies of Corfu and determine the number of species present on the island, their distribution, as well as their flight periods.
3. To find out if the butterfly communities of Corfu could be used as indicators of good habitat quality and if so help with the conservation of other Corfiot wildlife.
4. To identify potential losses of species and habitats and inform the Greek authorities about which needs protecting.
5. To publish the butterfly survey results and the conclusions drawn from this data in the first comprehensive Corfu Butterfly Atlas.
6. To encourage eco-tourism outside the main tourist season bringing extra revenue to Corfu.

Alice Hunter is a self-taught naturalist and professional wildlife photographer with a keen interest in botany and a particular love of macro subjects. Her passion for the natural world began as a child growing up in the wilds of Herefordshire, encouraged by her family and has been nurtured ever since.

She now enjoys sharing her love of the natural world with guests on the wildlife watching and photography tours that she leads for Greenwings.

Alice also enjoys nature writing and has had work published in a series of books for the Wildlife Trusts celebrating the seasons. Alice has a degree in Art History and enjoys combining visits to historical sites with seeing how nature has reclaimed them.

You can see more of her work at www.hunterphotos.co.uk

Coming later