Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2019

[Wurzel]

Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2019

Week 4

We seem to be flying through the weeks! It feels like only yesterday that I was launching the Favourites Thread – which is great, not because I condone wishing your life away, but because it means the 2020 season will kick off all the sooner!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years 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

[MikeOxon]

This is a shot that brings back memories of a splendid holiday on the Isles of Scilly. Whereas much of the mainland was apparently submerged under the rainfall, the islands were enjoying plenty of sunshine. My photo is from a day spent visiting the sub-tropical gardens on Tresco. It was taken from the path across the heath, between the landing-jetty and the gardens.

Tresco, Isles of Scilly - 4th June 2019
Olympus E-M1 Mk.ii with 40-150mm lens - 1/800s@f/10 ISO500

Mike

[Goldie M]

I didn't see many Common Blue this Summer because of being a bit disabled When I was in Kent on the Cliffs at Dover I took these shots of a Male and Female it was the 24th July on a lovely hot day Goldie

[David M]

This lovely fresh male was seen on 16 May:

There were also some extremely 'blue' females encountered, something which seems to be becoming ever more regular. This first one was at Crymlyn Burrows on 9 June:

Most spectacular of all though was this one from Pembrokeshire on 15 August. I had to do a double take initially as it was so extraordinary:

[downland boy]

Snap David!

My favourite Common Blue image is also of an all-blue female (ab. supracaerulea). Many of us on this forum have been commenting on the rise of this form in recent years. Back in my youth, during the 1960's, the normal female icarus was brown with varying amounts of blue only in the basal area of the wings (a much more noteworthy form nowadays). I don't remember ever coming across such all-blue females back then but they are much more regular in their occurrence these days. Downland boy.


http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk

[David M]

That's a real beauty, DB; more powdery blue than mine.

These days, finding a routinely brown female seems to be the hardest thing!

[bugboy]

I've managed to whittle my choice down to three, a particularly vibrant fresh male from Mill Hill, a rather nice 'blue' female from Strumpshaw (one of the few butterflies I paid more than scant attention to that wasn't a Swallowtail that day) and a nice 'oily' looking female from the dying days of the season last month at Southwick Harbour

[Allan.W.]

I completely agree with Downland boys comments concerning the rise in" " Blue" females,identical to my findings , I wonder why
this is ? As with Chalkhill Blues ,there are dozens and dozens of Common Blue varieties out their ,and for me the wide variety amongst the females, make them some of the most beautiful and interesting of our butterfly fauna.
My pictures were taken in various locations locally (mid-Kent) ,I couldn,t whittle my favourite down to one or two ………..anyway these are my favourites . Regards Allan.W.

[CallumMac]

I also have noted the rise in blue-form females - partly for that reason, my favourite Common Blue of the year was this lovely, fresh, brown female from a visit to Spurn Point on 25th August (a trip made in the vain hope of finding a Clouded Yellow, or even better, a Long-tailed Blue!).

[millerd]

In keeping with the trend, my favourites this year have both been extreme examples of blue females of the species, both from the spring brood. The first one was encountered at Bedfont Lakes Country Park on 16th May.

I thought that one was pretty extreme, until ten days or so later I found this one on my local patch.

I also like this sequence (also from a May visit to my local patch) where a male and female start off happily nectaring alongside each other. However, the male suddenly realises that he has the opposite sex for company...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Common Blue

Back at the end of June I was lucky enough to be asked to go on a trip to a Forest School in the Cotswolds. I leapt at the chance because as well as getting outside of the classroom I’d also be able to get a few shots. Or so I thought. I actual fact the day was a wash out in terms of butterflies although it was great in terms of the proper reason for going. On the way home at the end of the school day unsurprisingly the rain ceased and the sun came out. So I stopped at Larkhill and I was very glad that I risked life and limb to get to the main track as there waiting for me was the bluest female Common Blue that I had seen all year. She was absolutely stunning.

I’m going to break my own rules now…as I thought I’d made my choice but another female Common Blue kept coming to mind whilst I was writing the first part of the post. She appeared during Philzoid and my annual pilgrimage to Daneways. Again she was a ‘blue’ female Common blue but what stood out about her was the ‘two tone’ nature of the blue. The main part of her wings was a light blue interspersed and broken with brown. However around the margins and the posting there the blue was much thicker and more consistent, slightly brighter and formed almost a band/block of colour reminiscent of the orange band on a Small Copper, only in blue.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Like most on here, over the past few years I have been seeing more and more females with increasing amounts of blue.
However, a trip to Cornwall in early August produced females that were mostly brown, of which the example below was probably my favourite.

Common Blue female - The Lizard Cornwall 06.08.2019

Cheers,

Neil.