by Paul Wetton

Published by Wildlife-Films.com

Running time: 130 minutes

From the publisher: In July 2017 Paul and Helen spent two weeks in The Picos de Europa and surrounding areas with Paul's parents and his nephew, a budding wildlife photographer. Over 100 species of butterflies were encountered on this trip and 94 of these were captured on film and are included on this DVD. This twin DVD set also includes footage of the spectacular mountain scenery and much of the other wildlife encountered, including flowers, dragonflies, moths and birds such as Alpine Accentor and Wallcreeper.

A Review by Peter Eeles, 5th December 2017

This DVD set is the latest offering from Paul Wetton, following on from his other DVDs, namely A Butterfly Year, Searching for Butterflies in South West Switzerland, Searching for Butterflies in Southern Bulgaria and Searching for Butterflies in Northern Spain. This DVD set is on a par with Paul's other DVDs in terms of quality footage.

Unlike Paul's other butterfly-specific DVDs, this latest offering has a much broader scope, giving a much better insight into the sites visited and the species found there - not just butterflies, but birds, lizards, dragonflies, bees, plants and so on. I personally think this gives a much more-rounded perspective of what you're like to encounter should you choose to visit the Picos de Europa.

The commentary and footage provide excellent ID tips on the butterflies seen, with a particular focus on distinguishing similar species. Paul has even placed overlays onto the footage to highlight particular features and I have to admit that I learned quite a few ID tips along the way.

I particularly enjoyed the trek to find the Large Chequered Skipper. I was so engrossed, in fact, that I forgot that I was supposed to be reviewing the DVD set which, in hindsight, is actually a compliment regarding the storytelling that Paul has provided.

I should say that, in general, I'm not a huge fan of DVDs - either because the footage of a butterfly being blown around in the wind is much worse than a still photo, or because the commentary isn't particularly interesting. I have to say, Paul may have converted me with this latest offering. All in all, I'd have to say that this is Paul's best work to date with excellent footage, informative commentary and, for me, a superb "brochure" for the Picos de Europa - a region that I cannot wait to visit myself one day.

How to Order

The DVD can be ordered direct from the author's website.