Mercantour National Park, France
Mercantour is one of France’s 10 National Parks and situated north of Nice in Provence. It is perhaps one of the lesser-known parks, but in terms of wildlife, it is extremely rich with a network of walks and stunning mountain scenery, which makes it an ideal place to visit.
The national park is only an hour’s drive from Nice, yet it’s another world. The stunning mountain streams and lakes are set among 3000m-high valleys and mountains with villages embedded among the cliff tops.
Running a workshop in a location such as this provides a rich variety of subject material, which kept us busy every day. We spent long hours in the field – often until 9pm weather permitting. The road system is perhaps not the best and sometimes required lengthy drives to reach certain locations, which as the crow flies, were reasonably close. The insects were rich and varied; orchids were often common on the roadside verges – and frequently in large numbers. Many of the sites were rich in butterflies and we often spent many hours targeting certain species.
The weather was challenging at times with soaring high temperatures making insect photography challenging – we ended up doing most of it, either early in the morning, or late in the evening. There was also a serious shortage of restaurants and service stations, which meant we often had to drive 20km to refuel before we even started our journey that day, but it was a small price to pay considering the beauty of the place.
For anyone contemplating a trip to this region would need to take these issues into consideration when planning a trip. Having a package with one of the few hotels in the region would be the best plan, in my opinion.
Throughout the 10 days, we managed to produce some really splendid images. Below is a small sample of quickly processed images from the Rimplas area, which was our base. I will be writing up a full account for publication in the not too distant future!
Apollo Parnassius apollo
Apollo Parnassius apollo
Apollo Parnassius apollo
European Swallowtail Papilio machaon gorganus
Dusky Heath Coenonympha dorus
Spotted Fritillary Melitaea didyma meridionalis
Spotted Fritillary Melitaea didyma
High Brown Fritillary Argynnis adippe
Wood White Leptidea sinapis
False Heath Fritillary Melitaea diamina
Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni
Wall Lasiommata megera
Marbled White Melanargia galathea
Landscape view Valley des Milefonts, Mercantour, France
La Bollene-vesubie, Mercantour, France
Valley des Milefonts, Mercantour, France
Lac Petit Valley des Milefonts, Mercantour, France
Landscape view below Rimplas, Mercantour, France
I will post another set of images in the next few days when I get a chance to look through the many photographs that were shot during this trip.