Small Blues

[IAC]

Today I visited my favourite coastal spot just north of the English Border, South of Eyemouth. Last year while I was here I was lucky enough to find my very first Small Blues. I had no idea how rare these little critters had become in this Scottish South East corner.I was advised at the time to contact the local recorder, which I did.......and I then recieved a barrage of e-mails asking details and grid refs.............well one year on I returned to look for them.......and bingo,I saw at least 6, maybe more....so this is very good news indeed As a bonus today I also saw my very first Clouded Yellow......I tried very hard to catch up with it ,and maybe get a photo but alas, it was not to be.Anyway, I am very happy at seeing those Small Blues Cheers IAC.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
I don't know if anyone else has noticed anything similar this year, but apart from numbers here being down, the size variation in this species (a well documented phenomenon) is very marked this year. This specimen is a good 2.5 cm across, very close to the size of a Common Blue. Others on the site appear 'impossibly small' for a butterfly - not much more than half this size!

P1040585_edited-2.jpg (247.04 KiB) Viewed 642 times

Neil

[IAC]

In reply to Sussex Kipper......the Small Blues here are very rare, yet very normal, no real size differential to report. This is a very isolated colony indeed...thought to be extinct in the Berwickshire region. Like with Eccles last year being alerted to a small colony at the Odddown Park and ride, the isolation of certain colonies may be the reason,or at least partly, for the irregularity of size, shape and maybe even colour of certain regional characteristics. They may indeed have evolved into sub- species or abberations in minor ways. The colony on the Berwickshire coast may hold no more than a dozen individuals tops........thats a lot of inbreeding if you know what I mean.
Cheers IAC.

[Matsukaze]

Small Blue is still on the wing at Odd Down, with at least one fluttering amid the kidney vetch, bird's foot trefoil and yellow rattle late this afternoon. It was dwarfed by the Common Blue which was also in flight there, but in turn was notably larger than the pretty Pyrausta aurata micro-moth which was around in some numbers.

There is something deeply strange about watching rare butterflies in municipal car parks, and I am not entirely sure I enjoy the experience. Methinks the site is well named.