[The Cypriot]

Vanessa cardui - Painted Lady

[The Cypriot]

 Colias hyale

[MikeHardman]

Yes, these critters (~8mm long) eat the Plumbago foliage, but I wouldn't harm them - I'm too fond of the adults, forever flitting around the plumbagos, they are a small but welcome member of the cast of characters inhabiting my garden (and the wider countryside).

Curiously, this species was regarded as a rare, mainly migrant, species in Cyprus. But it is now quite common, at least in the lowlands. It is commonly associated with Plumbago auriculata (syn. P. capensis), and the spread of that plant may have been a significant factor in the expansion of the population of the butterfly. The plants themselves may have acted as vectors, carrying immature stages - rather than adult butterflies roaming far and wide and happening to find the plants, though the latter is likely to have happened to some degree as well.

The butterfly is at the end of this page - http://www.cyprusbutterflies.co.uk/page12.html.

[MikeHardman]

Today's been the best day for butterflies in quite some while; may be associated with heavy shower last night.
So far today:
swallowtail (1), long tailed blue (2), Lang's short tailed blue (4+), large white (1), eastern bath white (1), hermit (1), pigmy skipper (1, first one I've ever seen; I've now ticked all four Cyprus skippers in my garden), hummingbird hawk moth (2+), and there should be a painted lady about somewhere, and probably some wall browns nearby.
Lifts me spirits, it does:)

Update: two photos added:
- the female Lang's short tailed blue was just emerged and skulking around low in the undergrowth (Aptenia cordifolia) below the Plumbago auriculata; the males had already sussed her out and were flitting around her
- the hermit is of the ssp. larnacarna

[MikeHardman]

Please note:

A change to the number of butterfly species recorded for Cyprus ........
The Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias erate) has been withdrawn as a species for Cyprus. See Pieridae (Colias croceus) and Bibliography (John, E., Coutsis, J. G. & Makris, C. 2006) for details.

However, a further species has been provisionally added to the Cyprus list:
Great Steppe Grayling / Dark Rockbrown (Chazara persephone). See Satyridae and Bibliography (John, E., Haines, D. H. & Haines, H. M. 2010) for details.
This sighting remains subject to confirmation, so any relevant information would be welcomed, please, to: Eddie John

...

Reference:  John, E., Coutsis, J. G. & Makris, C. 2006.
A review of records for Colias erate (Esper, [1805]) (Lep.: Papilionoidea Pieridae) in Cyprus: were they all yellow forms of Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785)? Entomologist’s Gazette 57: 3-12.

Taken from http://www.cyprusbutterflies.co.uk/page7.html.

[Alisdair]

Let's remember that this is a plants and gardening forum, folks - so fine to get technical about plants, but for wildlife probably best to keep the seriously technical stuff out  . Pictures of butterflies on flowers etc are great, also ideas for plants that attract bees and butterflies, but I think that details about checklists etc are best kept to lepidopterists' forums.