Small Blue - Favourite Photo of 2015

[Wurzel]

Small Blue - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 16

Almost two thirds of the way through and things are moving apace in the natural world - I saw my first Bumble Bee of the year this morning - I'm not sure this is actually a good thing

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? 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

[dilettante]

This one had a lucky escape. Taken at Dunstable Downs, 30th May

[David M]

This Small Blue, taken at Rodborough Common in late May, didn't suffer the same near death experience as dilettante's

It sat happily and unmolested for several minutes on this leaf:

[MikeOxon]

I didn't get many photos of this species in 2015. I like this head-on encounter because of the way the sunlight shone off the sprinkling of blue scales on the upper wings. For a butterfly that often seems rather dark, I was surprised to see how bright this one looked, from this particular angle.

Lough Down, Berks - 4th June 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/800s@f/9 ISO400

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

A trip down to Bishops Hill in Warwickshire in early May for Dingy and Grizzled Skippers produced a few nice fresh early Small Blues as a welcome bonus,

Small Blue - Bishops Hill 04.05.2015

Small Blue - Bishops Hill 04.05.2015

Later that month I visited Prestbury Hill near Cheltenham where there were good numbers flying...

Small Blue - Prestbury Hill 21.05.2015

...and a family visit to the Cotswold Farm Park near the end of the month gave me the chance to take in the nature walk there which goes through the nearby Barton bushes SSSI where I saw a few more.

Small Blue - Barton Bushes 27.05.2015

Cheers,

Neil

[David M]

Your first image is particularly impressive, Neil. It's rare to see the blue sheen extend across the entire wing surfaces.

[bugboy]

Yet another one of my 2015 lifers and one that I ended up coming across at several places. here's a couple of males from Hutchinsons Bank, the second one with a very generous dusting of blue

and I rather lovely female from Ivinghoe Beacon

[millerd]

Almost invariably I visit Totternhoe for these butterflies, but somehow that didn't happen in 2015. Never mind - I ended up seeing them on Box Hill, Hutchinson's Bank, Wurzel's Wiltshire Hill, Butterfly World and the Southam Bypass. Quite a spread of locations...

Butterfly World came first, on 16th May. This visitor attraction is now closed - quite what will happen to the Small Blue colonies now is anyone's guess.

Next came the wonderful Marsh Fritillary site in Wiltshire - which has plenty else to offer, including Small Blues (28th May)

4th June took me to Hutchinson's Bank in search of Glanvilles, but Small Blues were on offer here too

The next one is from Box Hill on 24th June. It is a female with a damaged wing seen in exactly the same spot as I saw a similar-looking female in 2014. There is a small colony of Small Blues on the Hill somewhere - these are the only two I have ever seen here

Finally, examples from one of the more curiously located Small Blue colonies, perched on the steep roadside embankment on the sunnier side of the Southam Bypass in Warwickshire. This was my first visit here for the second brood (on 1st August), and there were several females and a mating pair seen.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Small Blue

This was taken at Durlston during August and is my favourite because it was a lovely little find. I hadn’t expected to see it along the coastal path surrounded by Lulworth Skippers and Pained Ladies plus it was my first Small Blue from this site. Also I think that it was from a second brood as I was seeing it during August and I thought they’d have been well over by this time especially as I saw my first of the year whilst looking for Marshies?

Have a goodun

Wurzel