Chalkhill Blue - Favourite Photo of 2018

[Wurzel]

Chalkhill Blue - Favourite Photo of 2018

Week 2

Has it already been a week? Where did the time go? Things look to be getting a bit cooler and then very much so next weekend, fingers crossed they get it as wrong as usual

Anyway back to business here is round two of the Favourite photo thread. 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

[Wolfson]

Plenty to choose from this year and I had narrowed it down to two photographs I took on 17 July in Hertfordshire. They show a freshly emerged male, with attendant ant, he appeared to be cleaning both his eyes simultaneously using both sections of his proboscis. I have also added a third photograph simply because I took today in Cambridgeshire. 2018 continues to surprise.

Chalkhill Blue 17 July

Chalkhill Blue 17 July

Chalkhill Blue 21 October

[Goldie M]

My photo was taken at Temple Ewell on the 11th of July , the day was dull so there was a chance of opened wings, I caught the Butterfly and managed some open wing . Goldie

[David M]

I didn't see this species in the UK in 2018 and the late season meant I saw precious few in France during July. Abominably, I don't think I took a single image of one this year although I DO remember pointing them out to guests on my trips.

In Spain, had I visited 5 years ago, I'd have notched them up but more recently a taxonomic review reclassified form caelestissima as a distinct species, although this individual (one of many hundreds seen) looks more like form deliciosa with the orange coloration in the submarginal area:

[MikeOxon]

I remember the day was none too promising, with a strong cool breeze, but I decided to have a look at Bald Hill, which is at the South-Western end of the Aston Rowant reserve. The aspect is similar to the better-known slope above the M40 but is blissfully quiet, away from the traffic. At first, I saw very few butterflies but then realised that small groups of very mobile Chalkhill Blues were present, although hard to spot as they hugged the ground. My shots were all hurried but one at least caught the silvery character of this butterfly:

Bald Hill, Oxon - 31st July 2018
Olympus E-M1 Mk.ii with 100-400 lens - 1/640s@f/10 ISO640

Mike

[CallumMac]

I saw Chalkhill Blues only once this year, at Denbies Hillside on 22nd August, where they became my 50th species of the year. It was a very unpromising morning - entirely overcast and with a bit of a cool breeze. Nevertheless, it turned out to be sufficiently warm and muggy that the various lycaenids were attempting to fly, and besides several fairly worn Chalkhills we also recorded Common and Adonis Blues and Brown Argus that day (though no Silver-spotted Skippers!).

[bugboy]

Box Hill and Denbies both did well with Chalkhills this year, here's one from each:

I nice subtle underside ab from Box Hill

and a perfectly posed male at Denbies in perfect light

[Neil Freeman]

Not much to chose from for this species this year, I only saw them the once when I found half a dozen mostly worn and faded examples on Bindon Hill when we where down in Dorset in early September. The individual below was the best condition of those seen and I only managed the one shot before he was gone across the hillside.

Chalkhill Blue - Bindon Hill 02.09.2018

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Chalkhill Blue

This favourite shot was taken on the same day as my favourite Brostreak at the start of the day and came from Laverstock Down on 26th July. It’s my favourite because I was able to capture it in a position which I was really happy with and also in the glorious glow of the early-ish morning. When I looked back through my shots whilst waiting for Little L to finish her Tutor session this shot really stood out and while I felt like I struggled with finding Chalkhills in 2018 this one kept popping up in my memory whenever I started thinking about the Favourites thread. Also at the time I remember thinking that this was going to be a taster of things to come and that it was shaping up to be a great day – which is indeed how it turned out.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nigel Kiteley]

A trip to a site near Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire on July 9th provided me with my first Chalk-Hill Blues of the season, where I managed a few shots including the open wing male image below.

Returning to the site on July 16th I was completely surrounded by males flying low above the chalk grassland, presumably searching for emerging females. I managed to find half a dozen emerging males, two of which are shown here.

[Matsukaze]

Chalkhill Blue did well at Brean Down on the Somerset coast this year, when I saw them in July. These photos remind me of one or other facet of that day - the first, the parched nature of the summer, the second, the distinctiveness of the site, and the third, the way the butterflies were behaving that day, taking to the scrub to avoid the wind coming in off the sea.

Some of the Chalkhills on the site had faint silver studding in the dark spots along the underwing margin, which I cannot remember noticing from any other populations. Is this unusual?

[millerd]

As usual, most of my visits for this species were to Aston Rowant and Denbies Hillside. The former location had a very good year, with them flying in their hundreds on one or two days in the first half of July. On the 11th, I found a newly emerged male, with a drop of creamy meconium from the chrysalis still evident on the grass stalk below.

the same individual.

There were other lovely examples around on 19th.

Meanwhile, Denbies had a reasonable year for the species, but not outstanding. Here is a nice one from 10th July...

...plus a good example of ab. suavis (orange spots next to the black marginal spots on the hindwings) from 12th.

Dave

[millerd]

Cheating to have a second bite I know, but I have just remembered another noteable encounter with this species... On 20th August while looking for Brown Hairstreaks, I came across a male Chalkhill Blue in the woods at Bookham a good five miles off the chalk.

.

Dave

[David M]

As usual, most of my visits for this species were to Aston Rowant and Denbies Hillside. The former location had a very good year, with them flying in their hundreds on one or two days in the first half of July. On the 11th, I found a newly emerged male, with a drop of creamy meconium from the chrysalis still evident on the grass stalk below.

That's a beautifully marked individual, Dave. This species is exceedingly attractive when fresh.

[Allan.W.]

My pictures are all from the Temple Ewell/Lydden NNR. near Dover ,Chalkhills were around in huge numbers at this site
and I had a couple of counts around the two hundred mark on two occasions ,but gave up counting . I was also lucky enough to find two AB;Suavis
males ,with red spotting on the top of the hindwing ,also found several pairs.

[Testudo Man]

Back at Queensdown Warren, Kent, for some good sessions with the Chalkhill Blues.

A fresh female in the late afternoon, landed on several good perches, allowing me some good opportunities.

Female Chalkhill Blue, image is not cropped. 21/7/18.

Same butterfly, image is cropped some.

Same butterfly, image is cropped some.

Then returning to the same location on the 4/8/18.
Male Chalkhill Blue, image is not cropped.

Same butterfly, image is cropped some(different camera set up)...This male is showing off!