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Silver-studded Blue - Favourite Photo of 2020

Week 15

We’re almost at the juncture in time when we could start the Countdown Clock! Another week, another set of Favourites and it’s been a funny old week too – mild weather and storms followed by really cold weather and snow and the first butterfly reports for 2021 have started to trickle in!

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.

Just a reminder - it might be a good idea to start selecting your Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2020 now as we’re starting to draw to the grand finale.


Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

I really thought Lockdown 1 had ruined my chances of seeing this species in 2020, at least finding anything that wasn't on its last legs, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a few mint individuals at Chobham (a late site for most species from my experience) in mid July

I loved last summer because I reacquainted myself with UK sites again. My photo came from a trip to Suffolk one morning.

In July I spent some time in West Penwith, an area with numerous colonies of Silver-studded Blue, some small, some huge. A few days on the cliffs and in the sand dunes resulted in more photographs than I probably need, making selection difficult, so I have selected a few that also show a selection of the plants that are very impressive here.

A species that i never expected to see last season .We managed to get a last minute holiday booking down in Cornwall ,and although we never visited any of the well known Silver -Stud sites ,i managed to see a few while on a visit to Lands End ,probably only around a dozen seen ,but most unexpected,of which these two were my favourites , also had good views of two Chough.
Regards Allan.W.

Beautiful, vivid colour on that male, Allan. The female has a nice dusting of blue too. Great that you got to see them.

Hello David ,
Yes these two were the best of the (small) bunch that i managed to see at Lands End,and the male was particularly bright!..............very pleased to find a few .
Regards Allan.W.

I've been to Lands End a number of times - I didn't know Silver-studded Blues were there!

In Hampshire, you either need to go to the heaths in the northeast of the county or The New Forest to see Silver-studded Blues.

I visited Broxhead Common a few times, near Bordon; a new site to me. Small Copper, Green Hairstreak and quite a few SSB.

On 15th June, I ventured north to Prees Heath in Shropshire to see this species. Sadly, it was heavily overcast so they were not active, although I was able to find quite a few roosting in the heather, including this female:

Silver-studs are one of the 'easy' species for me as we have so many heaths locally. Mind you it's been a while since I've seen and photographed a mating pair. Phil

Silver-studded Blue

I only saw Silver-studs on two occasions this year but I was happy with that as luckily their emergence occurred after the ‘general easing’ and travel became a little more permissible. Having gotten my work done early I banked a couple of hours and eating my breakfast while driving I headed over to Slop Bog. I t made a change to see the Silver-studs first thing in the morning as opposed to my more usual evening visits. They were much more flighty and the females seemed to be harder to find then I was used to but the one benefit was that they were definitely in a more amorous mood! I managed to find two copulating couples within a few strides from each other towards the end of my visit once the females had risen from their lie-in. As I’d only recently added this species to my ‘In Cop’ collection any shots of pairing would feature high on the list of possible faves. I went for this one as a third wheel arrived and tried unsuccessfully to get in on the action. I was quite comical the way the male already ‘locked on’ flustered and writhed whilst the usurper-to-be sedately ‘backed up’. All the while the female blithely looked on from the middle in a way which gave the impression that she was considering whether she’d made the wrong decision?
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

When this species emerged relatively early on some of its Surrey sites, it found that most of the flowers of its favourite nectar source (heather) had been scorched by a couple of late frosts at the start of May. Luckily, the emergence was long enough for the plants to bloom again, but the chap who looks after the Fairmile Common site was quite worried for a while.

My pick comes from one of my visits here (16th June) and a selection of female butterflies. There is surprising variety. Firstly the same butterfly with sunshine......and without. The scorched flower shoots are visible here too.A couple of examples with virtually absent marginal lunules, somewhat reminiscent of a Small Blue femaleIts underside was perfectly normal.A couple of classic examples......and then a blue-spotted individual to finish.There were some glorious males as well on this and earlier visits, but if I started on those, I might never stop.

Dave