France - Butterflies in Normandy

The predominantly rural departments of Calvados and Manche, located in Normandy on the north-west coast of France, are easily accessed via the numerous ferry services running between England and the French ports of Cherbourg and Caen, yet are surprisingly little visited by British, or indeed any other naturalists. The region has an attractive and varied pastoral landscape, often likened to southern England, though much more unspoiled, and retains an abundance of birds, plants and butterflies long since lost from the English counties. Small, flower-rich meadows grazed by Normandy cattle dominate the rolling landscape, and there are numerous orchards, marshes, heaths, bogs and ponds. To the south lie some vast woodlands, whilst in the north a beautiful coastline, rugged in places, offers extensive areas of coastal dune grassland, interspersed by picturesque fishing villages. Interestingly, Normandy supports a rich butterfly fauna, with around 160 species (more than twice the number recorded in Britain!), and a remarkable wealth of other wildlife, set in tranquil surroundings. To explore the region, and enjoy these butterflies, we cross the Channel from Poole to Cherbourg, and drive to our base for this holiday, a pleasant hotel on the coast in the historic town of Port-en-Bessin-Huppain. Famed for its world-famous tapestry, nearby Bayeux is central to our entomological destinations and is within a short drive of our hotel.

On our first full day in Normandy we head west, perhaps stopping at suitable old meadow localities to look for Sooty Coppers which can be abundant at this time of year. En route, as we drive through the Cotentin Regional Nature Park (one of the largest and most important wetlands in Europe), we keep a watchful eye out for White Storks, of which more than 50 pairs now breed in Normandy, and Marsh Harriers. Along the many roadside hedgerows and flower-rich verges, we take a special interest in any whites we may see, as Wood Whites (the second brood of which is now on the wing) are locally common in this part of Normandy. However, our main focus today is the area of wet heaths, bogs and pine forests around Lessay, at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula. Here we will spend the whole day exploring numerous tracks through this important heathland region, searching for a number of butterfly specialities. Large Chequered Skippers are common, and Silver-studded Blues abundant, but our main target species is the globally threatened Alcon Blue, which is the subject of special conservation management in the area. Other species present include Sooty Copper, Purple and Ilex Hairstreaks, Dark Green Fritillary and Grayling. The shady pine forests are less attractive to butterflies, but we can expect to see Crested Tits amongst the evergreen foliage and, with luck, Honey Buzzards overhead. The area is important botanically and supports a large population of the orchid Summer Lady’s Tresses, together with Heath Lobelia, Bog Rosemary and of course, Marsh Gentian, the food-plant of the Alcon Blue.

Our objective for the second day will be the large, state-owned Forest of Cerisy. This forest is dominated by beech, and contains a variety of other habitats including old meadows and calcareous mire, the latter supporting important populations of Marsh Fritillary. We will spend a full day exploring the network of rides which criss-cross the forest, looking for both grassland and woodland butterflies and moths. A very good variety of butterflies are found in the wood at this time of year including Camberwell Beauty, Ilex Hairstreak, White-letter Hairstreak, Map Butterfly, Silver-washed Fritillary, Clouded Yellow and possibly the last of the year’s Lesser Purple Emperors. This large, secluded woodland supports a wide range of other wildlife including Wild Boar, Pine Marten, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Nightjar, Black Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Melodious Warbler and Firecrest.

Finally we head south, to Les Monts d’sEraines, an area of undulating limestone hills between Caen and Falaise, the birthplace of William the Conqueror. The area comprises a mixture of scrub, limestone grassland and woodland, part of which has been designated a nature reserve. This is one of the most important limestone grassland sites in Normandy, and marks the north-west limit of this habitat type in France. During the day we will scour the botanically-rich slopes for butterflies such as Chalkhill Blue and Scarce Swallowtail, and also the regionally rare Faust’s Burnet Moth. This leisurely day will give us ample time to search for other insect-life, including Jersey Tiger Moth and Stag Beetle and a whole host of scarce plants such as Large-flowered Self-heal, Chiltern Gentian, St. Lucie’s Cherry, Mountain Germander, plus a number of true orchids and helleborines. Birdlife on the slopes will be quiet at this time of year, although we may possibly see Cirl Buntings which occur commonly in the region.

At the end of our holiday we return to Cherbourg to catch the Poole ferry, thus concluding a remarkably varied five days in a corner of France which richly deserves a higher profile as an excellent natural history destination.