Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2015

[Wurzel]

Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 4

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2015!

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

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks Wurzel,
This year I managed to get a decent full set so I can't complain. Perhaps I can concentrate on other species next year.
Female unders

Female uppers

Male unders

Male uppers

Chris

[Padfield]

This photo was taken with flash on a grey day with ominous clouds looming:



Guy

[David M]

Didn't spend a great deal of time with this species in 2015, and the best I could manage was this poor effort from Dan-y-Graig Cemetery in Swansea on 20th May:

[MikeOxon]

2015 seemed to be a remarkable year for 'blue' females. My favourite photo of one of these was taken towards the end of the season at Otmoor, Oxon:

Otmoor, Oxon - 6th August 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/800s@f/13 ISO500

Mike

[bugboy]

Hmmm another species I nearly overdosed on, nearly 300 pics to wade through. 'Blue' females were very numerous and would always catch my eye, this lovely lass being particularly fresh.

As for males, it was no competition for me, this ab. nigromaculata greeted me as I was leaving Aldbury Nowers one afternoon

[Goldie M]

I took two photos I really like, one an open wing the other closed, I took one shot at Gaits Barrow on the 16th of June and the other at Temple Ewell in Kent on the 28th July Goldie

[celery]

Great work there Goldie - a lovely dreamy quality to the first one.

It's funny isn't it... a few years ago when I moved to a more rural location this was the one butterfly I was desperate to see in my own garden. I made the site more wildlife friendly and, slowly but surely, they started appearing. Each one was greeted with whoops of joy and a flurry of excitement to fetch the camera. Now they've become quite commonplace and I'm a bit, y'know - oh look another common blue on the marjoram, meh! I'm certain I deserve a slap!

Conversely, I had painted ladies this year for the first time since 2010 and there was joy unconfined. Guess I'm just very fickle.

Anyhoo, here's one from the garden that wandered into view when I was trying to snap some blue-tailed damselflies.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) - Flintham, Notts. - 8th August, 2015

[Neil Freeman]

Common Blues seemed to do well in 2015 around my usual local spots and they also appeared regularly during my various trips further afield.

Favourites include this nice blue female seen at Shadowbrook Meadows near Solihull...

Common blue female - Shadowbrook Meadows 28.05.2015

...and this male from Castle Hills near Solihull with unusual black spotting on his hindwings which looks similar to Bugboys ab. nigromaculata above,

Common Blue male - Castle Hills 25.07.2015

Later in the year whilst down in Dorset there were plenty of CBs on the downs around Durdle Door including this mostly brown female,

Common Blue female - Durdle Door 30.08.2015

...and this nice male basking in the early evening sun,

Common Blue male - Durdle Door 03.09.2015

Cheers,

Neil.

[Allan.W.]

Common Blue,was ,for me one of the seasons winners,we saw higher numbers this season,than any previous season that I can remember
I got a lot of pleasure finding roosting Commons,and whilst looking for these I also found Wasp Spiders,and more interesting and a "lifer" for me, 2 Black -veined moth,which I stumbled across by accident,having tried unsuccessfully many times to find them,i also spent a lot of time trying to find a really blue "female"without too much success ,but theres something about the subtle colours of the females,i think I,ll be spending a lot more time in their company next season. The pics were all taken at Wye NNR. Kent , except the pair ,taken at Dungeness NNR.

[millerd]

Around my local patch this year, the Common Blue had a bit of an upswing in its fortunes. It was more widespread and a little more numerous than recently. Also notable was the blueness of the first brood females and the darkness of the second brood in comparison.

27th May - a very blue 1st brood example

14th June - 1st brood

1st August - 2nd brood

There were some lovely males, too.

12th June - 1st brood male

27th July - 2nd brood male

Finally, the most unusual was an ab. with pale yellow underside lunules I didn't spot until I went through the photos:

ab. flavescens

Dave

[Allan.W.]

Just looking at your Common Blue shots Dave(millerd) ...(excellent by the way),and your last shot of an AB. Prompted me to have a look back through my pictures,as I,d remembered a pale looking male that I took back in early August down here in Kent,originally I,d thought it was just warn ,but looking again ,I see it is in very good nick,and it sports very yellow lunules, thanks for the id. Regards Allan.W.

[Wurzel]

Common Blue

This was taken at ‘The Cove’ near Ffos-y-ffin during our family visit to the Out-Laws at the end of August. During the year I saw a range of ‘Blue’ females but it was also good to see the return of the darker forms that resemble a Brown Argus. This was my favourite ‘Blue’ female as the markings on the margins of the hind wings were so striking. The orange spots are out of line almost as if when they were being added someone moved the stencil. Added to the almost silver of the blue scaling around them made it a really stand-out lass.

Have a goodun

Wurzel