Trip Reports
Butterfly-watching Holidays
Peru 2008
Section 1 - Cusco to Aguas Calientes
<<
PREVIOUS |
NEXT >>
September 2008
a private small
group butterfly study tour researched, organised and led by
learnaboutbutterflies webmaster Adrian Hoskins.
Trip report by
Adrian Hoskins
|
About
300 butterfly photographs taken on this trip have now been
published, and are accessible via the
Species Index and the
Butterflies of Amazon & Andes
gallery. Additionally, about 90 photos of the most interesting and
beautiful moths of Peru have been published, accessible via
the
Moths - Amazon & Andes
gallery.
Photographs of various other insects
are in the
Insects of Amazonia gallery.
The
SPECIES LIST resulting from this trip will continue to
be updated as further species are identified following
consultation with taxonomists who specialise in particular
genera. |
This year's tour began in Cusco, from where we
travelled by road to the small town of Ollantaytambo. Here,
nectaring at roadside flowers we saw our first butterflies of the
tour, including the pretty white-banded green Hairstreak
Chlorostrymon simaethis and 2
species of Painted Lady Vanessa
brasiliensis and V. carye.
Chlorostrymon simaethis,
Ollantaytambo, Peru.
From Ollantaytambo we caught a train to Aguas
Calientes - gateway to the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Aguas Calientes is a small and very picturesque town nestled below
towering forested mountains, but these are virtually impossible to
explore safely due to the very steep slopes, shown in the
photographs below. Our activities therefore were confined to gentle strolls
along the forested edges of the railway track. Here we found several beautiful black and
red banded Altinote species
fluttering gracefully, and saw our first Ithomiine Glasswings
Scada reckia nectaring at
Senecia flowers.
<<
PREVIOUS |
NEXT >>
|
