Three's company

After seeing virtually no butterflies all summer, I'm now spoilt for choice every time I go out for a walk. Today we went to the Gorge de la Frau in the Ariège. It's a deep wooded gorge with cliffs looming over it. These look like just the kind of place you'd expect to find vultures and eagles nesting, but today's evidence didn't bear that out. We didn't see a single bird.

Butterflies however ... at least another four varieties. I think these are marsh fritillaries (euphydrya aurinia). There were hordes of them. Please click right from here to see the rest ... I'm particularly interested in what this one is.

The walk up the gorge was 3 km, 400 m climbing, an hour and a half, and then back down the same way. It took us all day though; it's a long drive, and we stopped in Mirepoix for a light lunch. Both ways we enjoyed the views from the gorgeous road between Fanjeaux and Mirepoix. Admittedly it would have been much more spectacular a few weeks ago; now the wheat has been harvested and the sunflowers are sad drooping brown heads. We did get a rainbow in a blue sky on the way back though.

We also did a detour via another Cathar castle, Montségur, stopped to admire the view, but didn't visit as it was a bit late by then. Back home at about 7:15; the pizza van was handily outside the door. The pizzaiolo accepted our order but said if we didn't want to wait hours he'd cook it straight away. So he did and we were sitting down for an early dinner within ten minutes of getting home. Tiring but satisfactory day.