![]() ![]() ![]() Some of these Dordogne castles are also listed as the most beautiful castles in France.Ĭastelnaud is one of the top destinations in Dordogne, mainly for its famous medieval castle. The list of the most beautiful medieval castles in Dordogne includes Castelnaud (cover picture), Fénelon, Beynac, Commarque (in the picture above), and Hautefort. They were solid, imposing, fortified structures, usually in strategically important positions. The Castles in Dordogne, instead, were more functional, built to protect. These iconic châteaux were not built for protection but as elegant retreats for the nobility of Paris. To the north, the castles of the Loire Valley were ornate, graceful structures built to impress. In the Middle Ages, Dordogne was an important area of conflict between France and England: the famous Hundred’s Year War (1337 to 1453) between the House of Plantagenet (rulers of the Kingdom of England) and the House of Valois over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. Security against the enemy was paramount in the valley, and the wealthy were ready to sacrifice beauty and comfort for protection. From fairytale castles to mighty fortresses, the Dordogne Valley boasts a stunning cultural heritage and some of France’s prettiest sites. More photos for this page from Honeyguiders would be very welcome.One of the best things to do in Dordogne is to visit some of its medieval castles. Photos on this web page by Chris Durdin, all photographed in the Dordogne on Honeyguide holidays, except Oberthur's grizzled skipper underside, which was in the French Pyrenees. It's standing on my telescope.Ī 6-spot burnet moth: confusingly, like butterflies, they have knobs on antennae. Painted lady on horse chestnut at Castang, May 2009, just before they invaded Britain (more on that here). ![]() Pyramidal orchid with knapweed fritillary and quaking grass. Spotted fritillary - common in the area, though we often miss them emerging on our holiday. Orange-tips, here mating: the orange tips on the male's upper wing shines through. Three wood white species are now recognised in the British Isles, separated on range or by dissection. Wood white can be picked out by its characteristic weak, fluttery flight and rounded wings. This older, faded scarce swallowtail is more black-and-white and has already lost a tail. Scarce swallowtail, underside, freshly emerged, the same butterfly as the big picture. Right: cream-spot tiger moth, the odd one out - a moth and the rest are butterflies.ĭordogne orchids. Middle: giant peacock moth (at rest, rather than a day-flying species). Left: burnet companion moth, often in the same areas as burnet moths. Above, middle and right: more common in our area is Oberthur's grizzled skipper, less grizzled looking, and with a reddish-brown underside hindwing. Note the knobbed antennae, like all butterflies. Skippers can look like moths, especially when they land with wings folded. Violet or weaver's fritillary: the former name is from the larval food plant. * imago - the fully developed adult stage of an insect. though the marsh fritillary, which we usually find by Roque St Christophe, is brighter and more contrasting still. This one is perched on the rim of bug box. Look for the row of spots in the hind wing's last-but-one row of cells. Meadow fritillary, a fairly uniform looking species, and often the commonest 'frit'.Ĭlick on the picture for a bigger picture of this butterfly. Extinct in the UK for reasons that remain unclear.įritillaries can be confusing. Flies with wings in a V-shape, like a marsh harrier!īlack-veined white, here on an ox-eye daisy in Castang's meadow, with a fabulous pattern recalling a leaded window. Like a lot of wildlife, the name comes from a UK perspective. An distinctive species, with its zebra-like stripes, and seen every year. Some butterflies have quite short period on the wing and we may see a lot of one butterfly during one holiday and none in another, linked to the weather that year. It isn't all of them by a long way (to see full lists, look in our holiday reports), and we don't see all species every year on our holiday, usually around the second week of May. The male lives up to its name, but the upperside of this female is similar to a small copper. Adonis blue is one of many species that is tricky to get close to. Which is the odd one out above of these four across the top? See bottom of page for answer.Ībove: male Adonis blues taking minerals, with two knapweed fritillaries. ![]() This web page is to illustrate some of the range of butterflies we see on our holidays in the Dordogne in May, based at Castang. ![]()
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