by Jason Sargerson

Published by Charaxes Films

Running Time: 74 minutes

From the publisher: This is an original film of butterflies in Eastern Switzerland. Easily accessible butterfly sites in Graubünden, Uri and Schwyz are visited, including the Albula Valley, Alp Valley, Beverin Valley, Oberalppass, Inn Valley, Poschiavo Valley and Rhine Valley. A full range of habitat is featured, including Woodland, Wetland, Rocky Steppe, Mountain and High Mountain. Butterfly subspecies found in specific locations are highlighted. Rare butterflies filmed include: Alcon Blue, Silvery Argus, Escher's Blue, Thor's Fritillary and Southern White Admiral. A species list, site by site is included.

A Review by Peter Eeles, 6th December 2017

This DVD is the latest offering from Jason Sargerson whose previous works have been reviewed in the past, namely Swiss Butterflies, Papilio and Swiss Butterflies Site Guide. This is, however, the first time that Jason has produced a DVD.

The DVD provides a nice balance between the footage of butterflies with the sites and habitat in which they are found. There is also relevant commentary on each of the species with a variety of characteristics noted, such as flight period, nectar sources, distribution and larval foodplants. A few specific butterfly forms that are specialties of the area covered are also mentioned.

A disappointing aspect of the DVD is that all of the footage has been taken handheld, or certainly gives that impression; even scenic shots show some movement and I think that the use of a tripod would have resulted in more stable footage and a more pleasing result. The coverage of each species is generally balanced in terms of duration, although just under four minutes of the DVD shows a Southern White Admiral feeding on buddleia and this seems at odds with the rest of the footage.

It is, in my opinion, a "no brainer" that anyone visiting Eastern Switzerland should get a copy of the DVD since it does give you a real sense of what to expect and the highlight for me was "experiencing" the locations visited and the species found there.

How to Order

The DVD can be ordered direct from the publisher.