Spanish Purple Hairstreak in an ancient meadow near Rivert village, Catalonia on 23 June 2024

We arrived at an astoundingly beautiful streamside field at about about 9.30am. At 740 metres, the altitude meant a jumper and cool start. Once the butterflies started to warm up (when we arrived it was less than 16c in the mountain foothills of the Pyrennees, but rapidly and typically warmed to 24c by midday) my 148th new European species presented itself right away. A real gem this one: endemic to only northern Spain and southern France.
My thanks go to the "Dispar" Report group who visited this exact spot 14 years ago in 2010. At that time, they reported seeing three specimens, but with just one expert instead of 7 this time, I saw at least 5 individuals, of varying freshness. I found their Ash larval foodplant by the torrential stream, and was delighted to re-discover an expanded colony.