Many thanks to all of you for the Cloudie appreciation.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
This female butterfly was very cooperative as it was taking on fuel at the start of the day and never strayed far between nectar stops. I noticed that its rate of wing-flap was lower when it was about to settle, but that meant anticipating where its next stop might be... It was a shame that this individual was not exactly pristine, but as it was the only one I've seen on my local patch this year (barring something unusual happening in the few weeks left before Christmas), I'm not complaining.
Over the previous few days I had been aware from Bugboy that Worthing seafront was the place to be if I wanted to see any Long-tailed Blues this year. Consequently, when
21st September was clearly going to be a warm and sunny day, more summer than autumn equinox, I headed down to the hotspot on the prom. It was also a bit of a nostalgia trip for me, as back in the 1960s I spent several summer holiday weeks down here staying with my great-aunt Louisa, who lived just up from the seafront in Grand Avenue.
I had no difficulty finding the location of the butterflies, as when I arrived several enthusiasts were already in place, including a variety of familiar faces. An example:
The centre of attention here was a mating pair of LTBs - more on them later...
Obviously, Long-tailed Blues were the main target, but several other species were flying here: Common Blues, a Small Copper and a passing Painted Lady, plus several Clouded Yellows (though I failed to spot any of the
helice form that had been noted on previous days).
I'm not certain how many LTBs I saw altogether, but they ranged from fairly worn to very new. Neil Hulme and Bugboy have commented in detail about their behaviour here, and I have nothing to add to their comprehensive observations, other than yet more photos of what must now be considered as a British Butterfly (regular migrant).
Of course, the icing on the already distinctly rich cake was the mating pair.
What a terrific day, and particularly good to meet up with so many other butterfly folk - Paul, Ben, Monica, Trevor, Katrina and Neil to name just a few (and apologies to all those unnamed!).
Dave