Male Phoebis sennae Cloudless Sulphur 26 Jun 2015 Guanahacabibes © Tim Norriss
Today was a travel day to Soroa so other than one or two short stops on our way out of Guanahacabibes most of the day was spent on the road. We did however see if we could relocate the Obscure Skipper on the beach (without success). We said our goodbyes at the Park office and gladly agreed to take one of the rangers to the next town; they don’t have their own transport and public transport is intermittent to say the least. I managed a quick photo of a male Phoebis sennae Cloudless Sulphur on the flowers outside. These Phoebis are not easy to identify for certain in the field so a good close view or a good photo is essential unless you use a net. The photos show patches of pale green on the underside that are hard to see in the field. We made several short stops along the road to check on small groups of butterflies mud-puddling on damp patches and cattle dung. Groups of Ascia monuste Great Southern White kept separate from those of Glutophrissa drusilla Florida White though Pyrisitia dina Bush Sulphur weren't so fussy.
We stopped again at the same spot where we saw the Mithrax Duskywing yesterday and found a third individual, this time rather worn as well as a fresh Eantis papinianus Cuban Sicklewing which is a scarce but widespread species on Cuba.
We stopped again at the same spot where we saw the Mithrax Duskywing yesterday and found a third individual, this time rather worn as well as a fresh Eantis papinianus Cuban Sicklewing which is a scarce but widespread species on Cuba.
On this trip I’ve started to get much more interested in the many reptiles that we are seeing and spending a bit more time trying to get reasonable photos of them. I think I have the identifications correct but resources on the internet are not great so if anyone knows better then please get in touch.
Leiocephalus stictigaster - Cuban Striped Curlytail 26 Jun 2015 © Tim Norriss
To quote from Lonely Planet “Soroa, a gorgeous natural area and tiny settlement 95km southwest of Havana, is the closest mountain resort to the capital. Located 8km north of Candelaria in the Sierra del Rosario, the easternmost and highest section of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, the region's heavy rainfall (more than 1300mm annually) promotes the growth of tall trees and orchids. The area gets its name from Jean-Pierre Soroa, a Frenchman who owned a 19th-century coffee plantation in these hills. One of his descendants, Ignacio Soroa, created the park as a personal retreat in the 1920s, and only since the Revolution has this luxuriant region been developed for tourism.”
We were heading for the Hotel Villa Soroa which is set in fabulous surroundings and has a lovely swimming pool and great wildlife with lots of tracks to explore. We had stayed here on our first visit and recognised that it had great potential for butterflies - indeed we had previously been told by a friend that there were many good things to see not least Saliana esperi soroa so named because the type specimen of the Cuban subspecies was collected here as recently as 1992. It has subsequently been found at a small number of other widely scattered sites in Cuba.
We went out for a quick walk on arrival and soon found Pyrgus crisia Antillean Checkered Skipper which we were pleased to see as the only one we saw here last year was rather battered. Rayner was even more pleased to see it as this was a first for him. We also found another larva of Heraclides oviedo Oviedo Swallowtail on Piper peltatum with the endemic Cuban Trogon calling incessantly overhead. This is Cuba's national bird and although we heard these almost every day we didn't often see them, though only because we didn't go looking for them.
We were heading for the Hotel Villa Soroa which is set in fabulous surroundings and has a lovely swimming pool and great wildlife with lots of tracks to explore. We had stayed here on our first visit and recognised that it had great potential for butterflies - indeed we had previously been told by a friend that there were many good things to see not least Saliana esperi soroa so named because the type specimen of the Cuban subspecies was collected here as recently as 1992. It has subsequently been found at a small number of other widely scattered sites in Cuba.
We went out for a quick walk on arrival and soon found Pyrgus crisia Antillean Checkered Skipper which we were pleased to see as the only one we saw here last year was rather battered. Rayner was even more pleased to see it as this was a first for him. We also found another larva of Heraclides oviedo Oviedo Swallowtail on Piper peltatum with the endemic Cuban Trogon calling incessantly overhead. This is Cuba's national bird and although we heard these almost every day we didn't often see them, though only because we didn't go looking for them.
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