Today was my last chance to do some Belgian butterflying this year since I'll soon be leaving for Brazil and won't be back until most of them have finished flying. I thus decided to visit one of my favourite nature reserves at the southernmost extremity of Belgium in the hope of adding Adonis Blue to my Belgian list. It didn't take long until I found this very co-operative female but I first saw a Green-underside Blue, which is almost as rare and I have only seen once before. Two rather early Dark-Green Fritillaries were also my first in Belgium and there must have been a dozen or more Pearly Heaths flying around.
This Military Orchid was one of three orchid species I found but perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was a singing Turtle Dove, which I've not heard for several years due to them being hunted to extinction in the Mediterranean. After a long and very quiet walk through the forest, I emerged into another nature reserve where I finished off by adding a third species, Mazarine Blue, to my Belgian list and even got a fleeting glimpse of a wild cat!
Pearly Heath
