Silver-studded Blue - Favourite Photo 2016

[Wurzel]

Silver-studded Blue - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 15

Only 5-6 weeks remaining now for this series of Posts - hopefully by the time these have finished we might be start seeing the first of the early hibernators.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos - just to make it easier to organise and keep everything on track so that we can enjoy this throughout the winter months? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

I saw most of my SSB's last year on a drizzly grey day visiting Fairmile Common. Once I got my eye in they were quite easy to spot dotted amongst the heather and other foliage but it only took the merest glimpse of sun to awake a few up. My favourites were a male and female with particularly stunning sets of studs!

[millerd]

My favourites came this year as usual from Fairmile Common and from Dawney's Hill, both on the Surrey heathland. There were some lovely examples at both sites. My visit to Dawney's Hill on 7th July was in perfect conditions - warm overcast with short bursts of sunshine. The butterflies flew when the sun was out and were then easy to find when it went in. There was then time to work out the best angles and position for the next time it decided to appear.

The highlight perhaps was this slightly aberrant male seen at Fairmile on 9th June.

Dave

[Goldie M]

I took my shots 0n the 11th June whilst in Sussex , it was thanks to Pauline who showed us the way by taking us there,
trouble is I was so excited at seeing them that I'm not sure where I was taken I certainly couldn't find it myself again
What I've noticed since taking the shots is the fact that two of the Female's were different one with lots of marking's on the wings and the other with only a few, I did wonder if I'd taken a shot of a different Female species but with it being my first sighting who knows Goldie

[Allan.W.]

A couple of shots from our holiday down in Cornwall,taken on the Cliffside at the glorious Kynance Cove ! both males ,one fairly freshly emerged was being attended by several ants,had some glorious times amongst the butterflies ,and rare plants, but missed the small Coppers !!(and Annes Pasties) probably going back again this year ,can,t wait !! regards Allan.W.

[Neil Freeman]

Back in late June last year we had a couple of days at Llandudno so that I could see the endemic sub-species of Silver-studded Blue - ssp. caernensis - that can be found on the south facing slopes of the Great Orme. Like most of last year, the weather was mostly cloudy and breezy but I nevertheless found hundreds of SSBs on the rock-rose covered slopes above 'Happy Valley' and also along 'Invalids Path'.

This sub-species tends to be slightly smaller than typical SSBs but the main distinguishing characteristic, and the one I was keen to see, is the increased amount of blue on the females. I was not disappointed and found a great many very attractive blue females with a good variation in the amount of blue suffusion and also the size of the orange lunules on the hind wings.

SSB ssp. caernensis male - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis males - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis females - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis female - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis female - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis female - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis female - Great Orme 27.06.2016

SSB ssp. caernensis female - Great Orme 27.06.2016

I have managed to count 22 SSBs in this shot

These were definitely one of my highlights of last year

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Silver-studded Blue

I only encountered Silver Studs at two sites this year – Slop Bog and Godshill. Even though the weather was less than conducive on both occasions I still managed to pick up a number of shots. My fave however came from Slop Bog and I chose it because it featured some unusual behaviour. Ants seemed to be actively attacking a freshly emerged Silver Stud, nipping it on the abdomen and tarsi and one even clipped out a section of wing, rolled it up and carried it off like a carpet thrown over it’s shoulder!

Have a goodun

Wurzel