Description

We are delighted to offer this new two centre springtime tour to central and northern Spain which promises to deliver an exciting range of butterflies, many of which are endemic to the Iberian peninsula or are scarce outside the Spanish mainland.

The first part of the tour will be based in the historic Moorish fortified town of Albarracin, with the main target species being the rare Spring Ringlet and the beautiful Iberian Sooty Copper. Other desirable species on the menu should include Provence Orange Tip, Panoptes Blue, Western Dappled White and Sooty Orange Tip, with others such as Large Tortoiseshell and Cleopatra also likely.

The second part of the tour will take in the Los Monegros area, home to the extremely rare Spanish Greenish Black Tip, before moving on to the southern foothills of the Pyrenees, where Spanish Fritillary, Green Underside Blue, Spanish Festoon and Western Marbled White are resident. The hotel near Jaca has a trapping licence, so we hope to see the rare and stunning Spanish Moon Moth.

Unlike summer tours to this area, daytime temperatures are broadly between 18 and 24c, and the landscape is far more lush and verdant than during July and August.

Using Valencia airport as an arrival hub, there will be ample opportunity to enjoy the spring countryside whilst travelling to the Sierra de Albarracin and then onwards towards the Pyrenees and back.