Which Blue?

[Mildheart]

I posted this on Facebook last week and it has generated some discussion. I found this blue in the small grassy clearing just opposite the Hundred Pound Bridge car park at Bookham Common at about 18:30 on 28 June. I flushed it from the grass by accident and it posed open-winged for a while but never sat still for very long and I didn't manage to get any good open-winged photos, but after a few minutes it settled down and I was able to get some closed wing shots at very close range. At the time I identified it as a Small Blue. I thought it unusual for Bookham but it seems there are no records for that area and no Kidney Vetch in the area so it has been questioned if it might actually be a very worn Holly Blue, which is a much more likely species there. The size isn't really apparent in the photos but it was very small, I was happy at the time that the size was compatible with Small Blue. Having checked a few books since, I still think it is a Small Blue but I'd like to get some more expert opinion to try and resolve it one way or the other.

[bugboy]

100% Small Blue. I know there's a growing population at Box Hill and Kidney Vetch has also been planted at Denbies Hillside for them. With a favourable wind its not impossible to find one at Bookham.

[Mildheart]

Thanks for confirming. Actually given the proximity to the car park, I was wondering if it could have hitched a lift there inadvertently.