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Spanish Pyrenees View Tour Details
What a view - the scenery from our bedroom windows at our charming hotel in the Spanish Pyrenees © Mike Crewe

What a view - the scenery from our bedroom windows at our charming hotel in the Spanish Pyrenees © Mike Crewe

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What a view - the scenery from our bedroom windows at our charming hotel in the Spanish Pyrenees © Mike Crewe Heading out across the grass, we only walked 10 yards before chancing on our first Citril Finches © Mike Crewe Nodding flowers of One-flowered Wintergreen grow under dense stands of pine © Mike Crewe The diminutive Duke of Burgundy skips along at knee height © Mike Crewe One-flowered Wintergreens brighten a dark forest floor © Mike Crewe
So why is our group contorting themselves to look upward so intently? © Mike Crewe OK, so they're looking at a massive rock face - but why? © Mike Crewe Ahh, it's a Wallcreeper - and they're nesting right above us! © Mike Crewe Large-flowered Butterwort is common in wet, acid flushes © Mike Crewe Colour-co-ordinated! Purple flowers of Pyrenean Vetch and the yellow of Common Bird's-foot Trefoil go perfectly together © Mike Crewe
Green-underside Blue favours the warmer, lower slopes © Mike Crewe The unfortunately-named Bastard-Balm has impressive flowers © Mike Crewe Stands of Elder-flowered Orchid often carpet the ground on the higher, grassy slopes © Mike Crewe Elder-flowered Orchid also comes in pink © Mike Crewe The rich purple-blue flowers of Dragonmouth © Mike Crewe
Musky Saxifrage flowering at Candanchu © Mike Crewe Sickle-leaved Sandwort forms wonderful balls of colour on steep rock faces © Mike Crewe Bird's-eye Primrose grows in boggy valley bottoms © Mike Crewe Birds, bugs and botanists - all can be found lurking in the Spanish Pyrenees! © Mike Crewe Villose Rock-jasmine is always high on the 'wanted list' of Pyrenean gems © Mike Crewe
A robust stand of Spring Squill © Mike Crewe The stunning blue of Common Trumpet Gentian © Mike Crewe An arty world! A bee's-eye view of a Trumpet Gentian © Mike Crewe A superb stand of Pyrenean Trumpet Gentian mixes in with the pink flowers of Common Kidney-vetch © Mike Crewe Decorum prevents us from naming the member of the group who fell asleep after lunch - must be a relaxing trip after all!! © Mike Crewe
Eurasian Griffons are ever-present on any trip to Aragon; these birds were hanging out on the edge of the local village © Mike Crewe Pearly Heath is not just a place in Surrey - it's a butterfly too! © Mike Crewe Idas Blue - freshly emerged and look fabulous! © Mike Crewe The low-growing Mountain Carduncellus does well on heavily-grazed land © Mike Crewe Masses of Pyrenean Flax flowers crowd stony banks on the warm, pre-Pyrenean slopes to the south © Mike Crewe
Wow, what a beauty! This spectacular Southern White Admiral followed our group around for ages - but he was only after our sweat! © Mike Crewe Southern White Admirals are just as spectacular from below © Mike Crewe Western Marbled White - a fabulous addition to any trip list! © Mike Crewe The outstanding pink limestone outcrops of the Mallos de Riglos © Mike Crewe The village of Riglos nestles close beneath the famous sandstone outcrops © Mike Crewe
A colourful Red-underwing Skipper basks beneath the warm Spanish sun © Mike Crewe The remarkable, massive flower trusses of the endemic Pyrenean Saxifrage hang out from precipitous rock faces © Mike Crewe Amplexicaul Buttercup - a nice find in the higher limestone valleys © Mike Crewe The strange crone-like markings on the wing of the day-flying Mother Shipton moth are named after the famous 15th Century Yorkshire prophetess © Mike Crewe Flat carpets of Creeping Globularia hug the rock face © Mike Crewe
Narcissus-flowered Anemone - simply superb! © Mike Crewe Walking slowly down through an amazing limestone karst, we found endless delights to enjoy © Mike Crewe Pyrenean Fritillary © Mike Crewe Now that's what I call blue!! The wonderful Spring Gentian © Mike Crewe Yellow Beaked Milk-vetch - well worth getting on the ground for! © Mike Crewe
And after a hike through the hills, there's always time for a beer (or a cup of tea if you prefer!) © Mike Crewe A fine stand of Globe-flower © Mike Crewe White Asphodel © Mike Crewe Horned Pansy, Yarrow and Irish Spurge create a wonderful kaleidoscope of colour. © Mike Crewe Always one to hope for - the outstanding Lady's Slipper Orchid © Mike Crewe
Lady's Slipper Orchid - speak nicely to your guide and he'll do his best to find one for you! © Mike Crewe Even in the Pyrenees, the selfish acts of orchid collectors threaten to wipe the amazing Lady's Slipper Orchid from the face of the planet © Mike Crewe Common Bee Orchid may be common but it never fails to delight © Mike Crewe A fine stand of Greater Broomrape dwarfs its unwilling host - Dorycnium pentaphyllum © Mike Crewe The introduced, parasitic Field Dodder carpets the ground alongside a small lake © Mike Crewe
Our little rural hotel certainly offers home-from-home comfort © Mike Crewe Brightly-coloured bushes of Shrubby Restharrow line the verges along the back roads on the Pyrenean foothills © Mike Crewe The superb Spanish Fritillary awaits us on sunny, flower-filled banks © Mike Crewe The vibrant Yellow Flax © Mike Crewe Ramonda is one of the world's more enigmatic plants; related to the well-known African Violet, it is emdemic to the Pyrenees © Mike Crewe
Pale Petrocoptis- a rare and very range-restriced species of Northern Spain © Mike Crewe Another fine specimen of Ramonda brightens up a shady corner © Mike Crewe Campanula speciosa is a very showy member of the bellflower family © Mike Crewe The famous Boca del Inferno is a spectacular gorge (can you see the tiny people on the roadside?!) © Mike Crewe The dramatic, fairy-tale Castillo de Loarre is visited some years if we have time © Mike Crewe
Spanish Gatekeeper is common in the warm foothills of the Pyrenees © Mike Crewe The impressive flower of Cardoon © Mike Crewe The subtle flower spikes of Burnt Orchid are easily missed in long grass © Mike Crewe Much sought-after in the UK, even in the Pyrenees Red Helleborine is tough to find © Mike Crewe Now extinct in the UK, the wonderful Black-veined White is common in the Spanish Pyrenees © Mike Crewe
The Twin-spot Fritillary can be elusive most years © Mike Crewe A rarity confined to just a handful of sites in the UK, the High Brown Fritillary is always high on the must-see list © Mike Crewe Chestnut Heath - another variation on a theme! © Mike Crewe Ilex Hairstreaks are very common in the scrub oak and box zone © Mike Crewe Freshly emerged and looking stunning - a female Silver-studded Blue © Mike Crewe
Zygaena fausta, one of a number of attractive day-flying moths in the Pyrenees © Mike Crewe A Large Pincertail rests on a cable support wire © Mike Crewe Esper's Marbled White - looks like the birds have been at him! © Mike Crewe Frog Orchids can be found on the higher grassy slopes - but usually require a hands and knees search © Mike Crewe Moonwort - a most surprising fern! © Mike Crewe
Another day, another fabulous valley of delights © Mike Crewe Stands of Western Mountain Pine seem to spring straight out of the bare rock © Mike Crewe The highly fragrant flowers of the endemic Pyrenean Honeysuckle © Mike Crewe Another choice endemic, the Pyrenean Columbine can be told by its straight spurs © Mike Crewe A male Cleopatra feeds from the endemic Mantisalca salmantica © Mike Crewe
Tricky to find and typically shy, small numbers of Black Wheatears reach the northern edge of their range in the Pyrenean foothills © Mike Crewe Iberian Marsh Frog - the taxonomy of Europe's frogs has been in a state of flux for some years © Mike Crewe They shot off too quick for a photograph, but this Eurasian Penduline-tit nest proves that they do breed here! © Mike Crewe Weaver's Fritillary has an unusually angular look © Mike Crewe A Lulworth Skipper just about shows the pale crescent on its upper wing © Mike Crewe
They may look like nasty hornets, but that's the idea! A mating pair of extraordinary Hornet Clearwing Moths © Mike Crewe A Marbled Fritillary brightens up a bramble patch © Mike Crewe The diminutive Damon Blue is dwarfed by a bramble flower © Mike Crewe The wonderfully subtle Provençe Chalk-hill Blue © Mike Crewe The eyes have it! A smart Dusky Heath © Mike Crewe
Chapman's Blue © Mike Crewe The little town of Binies is an iconic example of the timelessness of life in the Spanish Pyrenean foothills © Mike Crewe The strikingly black-and-white Spanish form of Scarce Swallowtail seems set to be split as a separate species. © Mike Crewe The fluffy heads of Ciliate Melick are common along rocky roadsides © Mike Crewe We can't guarantee a butterfly bonanza every year - but we'll try! © Mike Crewe