A slightly different Common Blue.

[Allan.W.]

This morning I visited Temple Ewell Downs ,near Dover .......mainly to look for Wartbiter Cricket (no joy !) ,and keeping an eye open for some Silver Spots ,of which I found around 15 or so .Also hoping for a few Common Blues ,and found around ten all bar one females .
Amongst them was this rather attractive "Brown" female.

I thought i,d double check ie; Com Blue /Brown Arg with an underside shot. On the hindwing(upperside ) lunules were edged with White and Blue ,so pretty sure ......must be Common B. (Also showing a "Blue " body.) .But the underside seemed to tell a different story.

Allan.W.

[millerd]

I'd say that's 100% Common Blue, Allan. Brown Argus never have any blue scales on their wings, and your individual has plenty - as you say a very attractive insect.

The underside looks like a Common Blue as well to me. It's fairly brown, as some females are, but the spotting seems typical, without the distinctive "colon" arrangement seen on the Brown Argus. It also has a cell spot on the forewing, something a Brown Argus never has.

Great shots of the butterfly!

Cheers,

Dave

[Allan.W.]

Thanks for that Dave .Yes I was fairly certain that it was a Common ,I think I was thrown by the two spots (close together )on the leading edge of the hindwing undersides ......it just looked a bit "different" to the norm. Thanks for looking !
Allan.W.

[David M]

That's an unusual (and highly attractive) underside for icarus, Allan. Thanks for sharing.

[Allan.W.]

Thanks David ,yes it was a very striking insect .............and although definately a Common Blue ,the underside (particularly the hindwing ),is, for me not a typical Icarus underside. Allan.W.