Extinct and very rare British butterflies that live in Portugal - Black-veined White and Large Tortoiseshell

Black-veined White

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi). Photo by Christian Fischer

There are several British butterflies that are either extinct now or very rare that can be found in Portugal, though possibly not in great numbers there too. 

The Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) mysteriously became extinct in the UK back in 1925. It is a mystery because the food-plants of its caterpillar are plentiful. The caterpillars feed on Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), and various Prunus (Plum) and Pyrus (Pear) species.  

The caterpillars overwinter and it is thought that mild winters in Britain may have led to their demise. Predation by birds and disease are also other suggestions as to why this species has vanished. Its last colony was in south-east England and it had also been established in Hampshire, Gloucestershire and Sussex.

The Black-Veined White, as its name suggests, has white wings veined in black. It lives in colonies and has a liking for orchards. Although it has become extinct in Britain it is still surviving in Portugal, where it has been reported from the south-eastern Algarve area, though it is not common there. This butterfly can be found in some other parts of Europe, in North America and in temperate Asia.

Large Tortoiseshell

Nymphalis polychloros Photo by Algirdas

 

 The Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) looks very much like a larger version of the Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae), hence its name, but unlike the smaller species it is very rare in the UK and its caterpillars feed on very different food-plants. While Small Tortoiseshell larvae feed on Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica), those of the Large Tortoiseshell eat the leaves of various trees including Willow (Salix spp), Elm (Ulmus) and the White Poplar (Populus alba).

The Small Tortoiseshell was once a very common British butterfly but has been declining in numbers drastically in recent years, though it is still widely distributed, however, the Large Tortoiseshell has nearly vanished from the UK.  

The Large Tortiseshell can still be found in the Cork Oak (Quercus suber) forests  of the western Algarve and elsewhere in Portugal at times, though it is uncommon and regarded as a threatened species of butterfly. 

Bath White 

Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 5 Bath White in Public Domain

The Bath White (Pontia dalidice) is a very rare migrant to the UK but is common in Portugal and much of southern Europe. It frequents rough ground and dry slopes. The caterpillar of the Bath White feeds on various plants in the Cress family (Cruciferae) and also on wild Mignonettes (Reseda spp).

The Swallowtail Butterfly 

Swallowtail. Photo by Steve Andrews

The Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) is a large and very pretty butterfly that is common in Portugal and even breeds in the gardens of many towns and cities where it can be seen flying throughout most of the year. 
Its caterpillar feeds on Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and Rue (Ruta graveolens). 

The Swallowtail is a very rare butterfly in the UK and only lives in the Norfolk Broads area where the caterpillars feed on the Milk Parsley (Peucidanum palustre). 

The Iberian Water Frog or Perez’s Frog is not the Iberian frog

Pelophylax perezi. Photo by David Perez

The Iberian water frog lives in Iberia (Spain and Portugal) as its name suggests but it is also known as Perez’s frog (Pelophylax perezi) and the Iberian green frog. Its scientific name used to be Rana perezi, and this is still used by many zoologists and naturalists. 

 It needs to be distinguished from the Iberian frog (Rana iberica), which also lives in Spain and Portugal but unlike the Iberian water frog which is very common and widely distributed, the Iberian frog is now very rare and limited by the number of locations it still survives in. 

The Iberian water frog’s key to success is that it isn’t fussy about its habitat and is found in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and just about anywhere there is freshwater. It is often found breeding in garden ponds and also in the large water tank reservoirs made for farm irrigation.

It also lives in southern France and has been successfully introduced into Tenerife and the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira, as well as the Balearic Islands. It is also reported from a couple of sites in the UK where it is surviving.

The Iberian waterfrog is usually some shade of green as an overall colour but sometimes blueish specimens are found. These frogs often have a yellowish line down their backs.

Juvenile Iberian water frog. Photo by Steve Andrews

The Iberian water frog is a large species with females being bigger than the males.  The males croak loudly and congregate in large numbers in the breeding season. They can be territorial and will fight. 

The Iberian water frog is also known to resort to cannibalism at times and will eat its own tadpoles and smaller frogs.

The Iberian waterfrog, as its name suggests, spends most of its time in the water or very near it. It likes to bask in the sun at the edges of ponds or on lily-pads or anything else it can haul its body out onto.

 

Iberian Water Frogs. Quinta do Lago, Algarve, Portugal. 07/05/2102

  The Iberian Frog 

Rana iberica. Photo by Luis Fernández García

The Iberian frog favours mountainous regions and needs rivers, streams, ponds and lakes in these areas. It is also found in some lowland parts but is seriously declining in numbers.

  It looks similar to the Common frog (R.temporaria) and shares its habitat with this species in some places. It can grow to about 7 cm (2.8 in) in length but a more usual size is 5 cm (2.0 in).

The Iberian frog is having problems mainly due to habitat loss caused by deforestation and land development and is also threatened by introduced and naturalised predatory species including the American mink (Neovison vison). Climate Change is also said to be taking its toll on this species of frog and its official Conservation Status is “Near Threatened.”

SAVE THE FROGS 

Sadly it's not just the Iberian frog that is declining in numbers and in danger, because worldwide many species of frog, toad, salamander and newt are in serious trouble too. Water pollution, pesticides, herbicides, habitat destruction, the danger from traffic on roads, competition with other species, disease and Climate Change are all contributing to this, and many types are actually endangered to the point of facing extinction.

Dr Kerry Kriger has set up the first ever charity devoted to saving frogs and amphibians. Find out what you can do to help Save The Frogs here! 

 

 

Greenpeace say Chemtrails are "an urban myth"

Contrails in Public Domain

“Chemtrails”, in case you don’t know, are those long-lasting vapour trails we often see planes leaving in our skies, or at least chemtrails is what conspiracy theorists and chemtrail-believers call them. Scientists, aviation engineers, pilots and everyone else who understands the scientific view of this subject refer to them as contrails.

The environmental campaigning group Greenpeace has made it clear where the organisation stands by claiming that chemtrails are “an urban myth.” In a report entitled "Greenpeace’s view on ‘Chemtrails’" it is stated,

"Greenpeace have not seen sufficient evidence to justify further investigation into whether this is a real problem. As far as we are concerned, chemtrails are an urban myth - a conspiracy theory with no conspiracy."

What Conspiracy Theorists  believe about Chemtrails

 Conspiracy theorists and believers in chemtrails claim that these trails are a sinister plot to cull the human population by weakening their immune systems and gradually poisoning them with a range of toxic substances including barium and aluminium salts. Some claim further that viruses, pathogens and even nano-particles are being "sprayed" into the sky.

It is claimed that the difference between real contrails and chemtrails is that the former do not last very long. This is simply not true, and persistent contrails were documented way back in the 1940s.

Contrails from propeller-driven aircraft engine exhaust, early 1940s Public Domain

The evil Illuminati and the secret Shadow Government or Cabal that conspiracy theorists like to blame for everything wrong with the world, are said to be behind this nefarious scheme.

Chemtrail-believers post countless videos on YouTube showing contrails and cirrus cloud formations they claim is evidence.  There are forums devoted to the subject and even some celebrities like Prince have become believers and supporters of the chemtrail conspiracy theory.

It appears that the term chemtrails was first used and promoted by Canadian journalist and author William Thomas in the 1990s. Thomas has been invited by Metabunk.org to "Politely discuss the Chemtrails Theory" but has so far been conspicuous by his absence.

Jazzroc and Chemtrails and William Thomas

 

JazzRoc -Photo used with permission.

 

My friend Tony Duncan aka JazzRoc became well-known as a debunker of the chemtrail conspiracy theory and for his efforts got himself banned from the David Icke forums and had his account deleted at YouTube. Chemtrail conspiracy theorists do not like anyone arguing with them.

 They take the view that they are right and you are wrong and that they know what is really going on in the world. Chemtrail conspiracy theorists will not accept that they are caught up in a manufactured belief system. They like to claim that everyone else who does not believe in conspiracy theories are "sheeple."  

I remember when JazzRoc posted in a thread on a message board run by William Thomas but Thomas then closed the thread so no further debate could take place. Now I wonder why that was?

 Cloud seeding, Geoengineering and HAARP

 The Greenpeace article then looks at all the subjects that chemtrail-believers use as 'evidence' for the reality of chemtrails and dismisses this 'proof' as unconvincing. In fact, Greenpeace say, "So far, we haven’t seen any evidence supporting the chemtrails hypothesis."

Cloud seeding can be done by ground generators, plane, or rocket. Public Domain

The report explains what Cloud Seeding, Geoengineering and HAARP  ("High Frequency Active Auroral Research Programme") really are and maintains that Greenpeace has seen no evidence that any of these projects have been used to create chemtrails.

Sadly believers in chemtrails are very hard to shake from their beliefs. They prefer to cling to pseudo science and the opinions of conspiracy theory gurus like David Icke, who has promoted the reality of chemtrails in his work. The belief in the chemtrail conspiracy has been used to make money for those promoting it and has added more fear and paranoia into the world today.

Anyone who really wants to find out the facts about contrails and read more about how chemtrails can be explained away as nothing more than vapour trails formed by the very great increase in air traffic should check out contrail science.