Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Pete Eeles]

I think I can see now why it's not a CB: is this one better, showing some white in the lunules on the hindwing?

That one looks most like a male Brown Argus as well!!

Indeed. If you look at the abdomen, it's long and thin, whereas a female's would be short and plump ... and this is therefore not a female and, therefore, not a Common Blue.

As for colouring, there are no blue scales whatsoever (the blue next to the body is actually from the body hairs) and this would be extremely unusual in a Common Blue.

Cheers,

- Pete

[PhilBJohnson]

Hi,
I think this is a male Common Blue as it is showing a lot more blue than the other one (please correct me if I am wrong).
This picture was taken with my bridge camera on the same day as the other and on the same patch of rough grass.
F/6.5, exposure time 1/200 (faster than the previous pic) and ISO-80 (a more favourable setting). I am still however, "getting carried away" with the digital zoom which does nothing for the quality of detail, apart from, maybe giving one a larger target to focus on.
hope you enjoy.

Worn, almost transparent Common Blue. 8.6.2014 Fairmile Common, Elmbridge

[PhilBJohnson]

I just found this one, it was a hot day, not my sharpest picture (Mike ) but to be honest I was practicing using a faster shutter speed to try and get the inflight Purple Emperor pictures later that afternoon. When the shutter speed is reasonably fast (1/1000), I hope I am not talking "rubbish" by saying that my camera compensates a little with a higher ISO (ISO 250).
I am hoping experts could tell me a bit more?
Am I right in thinking that this Common Blue is egg laying and if so, on what plant?

18th July Bookham Commons, Surrey

[Matsukaze]

The Common Blue colonised my garden this year. I hope they will be around next year too - quite likely as the foodplant has become somewhat invasive. I really need to clear some of it - whereabouts do the caterpillars spend the winter? I'd like to do the work without disturbing them if I can.

[Vince Massimo]

The Common Blue colonised my garden this year. I hope they will be around next year too - quite likely as the foodplant has become somewhat invasive. I really need to clear some of it - whereabouts do the caterpillars spend the winter? I'd like to do the work without disturbing them if I can.

Hi Mat,

I will have a go at answering this, although I have only ever overwintered one larva.

Larvae will hibernate in leaf litter or moss at the base of the food plant, as well as low down on the stems or the undersides of the leaves. The larvae should be 3-5mm long at this stage. Mine was on a small plant in an un-netted pot and I never found the larva until it started feeding again in spring. Some photos can be found here http://www.dispar.org/reference.php?id=26 to give you an idea of what to look for.

Clearing unwanted food plant should therefore be undertaken with care, but cutting (by hand) can safely be done if the height of the plant does not go below 4 inches. I believe conservation bodies advise that a 4 inch mowing height be used on large grassland areas in order to safeguard species of this nature.

Vince

[Matsukaze]

Thanks Vince - exactly what I needed to know.