Susie

[David M]

Susie, that third specimen in your series looks positively malformed.

What kind of numbers are we talking about here?

[Susie]

Hi Susie,

I was at Denbies this evening. Not for long, but long enough to find similar looking specimens to yours. I'm going back there later this week with the camera fully charged. Be nice if the stiff breeze could drop a little though...

Had a Burnet Companion fly up from grasses and settle high in a beech tree, which is something I've never seen before (thought I had a massively early Brown Hairstreak, lol!) Also jammed into a single Micropterix tunbergella on beech leaves, it's pretty darn rare in Surrey. Google it and have a look - tis a stunning moth with crazy funky hairdo!

Gibster.

I think I may have seen you, Gibster. There was a chap with a camera on the eastern side of the field near the hedge. Bet that was you!

I'll go google I saw burnet companion, mother shipton and a load of other moths.

[Susie]

Hi David, there surely are some strange butterflies about. I really couldn't give you an idea of numbers. Just loads.

[Gibster]

I think I may have seen you, Gibster. There was a chap with a camera on the eastern side of the field near the hedge. Bet that was you!

Yup, twas me. You were just going through the gate. I did wonder, but the sun was in my eyes. You're meant to holler, "Oy! You with the camera! Whatyagot, mate???"

[Susie]

lol. when I'm out on my own I avoid people like the plague!

[Susie]

[Jack Harrison]

That is an amazing picture. All these aberrations suggest they must be a result of environmental factors (eg abnormal temperatures) rather than being genetic.

No doubt somebody will have some more scientific explanations.

Jack

[Wurzel]

Those are some strange looking litle critters! If these aberrations are caused by temperatures (a bit like the colour changes in Silver Spotted Skipper) then I'll keep my eyes open at other sites because they too could well have similar aberrations. If it was caused by temp then is it because of the cold, snowy winter or the warm, sunny spring

But if these are genetic alterations perhaps you'll get to name the aberration/variation - I'd get get your thinking cap on...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

I think the majority of the aberrations there are ab. Krodeli and I think that they are caused by environmental factors.

I would be extremely interested to know if this is happening elsewhere.

I only wish I had been able to get the butterflies behind that particular stalk of grass in focus also because the majority of them were abs too.

[Susie]

A couple of pics from this morning of one female adonis.

I think she is ab. krodeli and she shows quite distinct blue scaling on her upperside.

More pics to follow later, I'm off out again!

[NickB]

Great pics, Susie! Shows what the drought has done; I wonder what our Chalkhills are going to be like...?
N

[Jack Harrison]

Nick wonders:

...what our Chalkhills are going to be like...?

I might ask "What Chalkhills?"

Jack

[Susie]

I'm with Jack on this one. With the flora so dessicated I don't reckon we'll get much in the way of butterflies on this site later in the year. I hope I am wrong.

[Wurzel]

I visited Martin Down this morning and saw a few "deformed" Adonis Blue as well - I took photos of one of them but the rest were very flightly, I also found a very deformed Grizzled Skipper that wasn't able to fly but was hopping around like a grasshopper, so that appears that it isn't just Denbies. Haven't managed to sort the photos out yet, but once the kiddiwinks are tucked away for the night I'll post again

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

I went to Kithurst Hill this afternoon and saw my first ever small blues. They are gorgeous little critters! But I digress, what I meant to mention was that I found a crippled small blue. I guess this may just be par for the course though and it probably happens in every brood to a certain degree.

[Zonda]

I'd say the same, in nature only some survive. These are the strongest, and most adaptable, and this is how natural selection works.

[Susie]

Right, so I was at Denbies by 7 this morning and as soon as I got there I realised I had left it too late, the little chaps were wide awake. Many were basking on the grass stalks, blue jewels with wings wide open, it was beautiful. But it meant I couldn't do the aberration count I was hoping to do with a degree of accuracy. However, I reckon one in four adonis blues are aberrant in some way but it isn't aways obvious from first glance as with some of them only one wing is affected.

Having been telephoned by the husband who told me to come home for my breakfast I called it a day at Denbies.

This afternoon I went to Kithurst Hill to look for small blue and wasn't disappointed, there were dozens!

And finally this evening it is raining at last so I don't have to water the garden.

Photos to follow soon.

[Susie]

Male adonis blue trying to mate with ab female.

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150250762316972[/video]


Small blue

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150250729966972[/video]

And a little bit of shere indulgence so I can look back in the winter months ... the view from Kithurst Hill with the sea in the back ground and the wind rippling the crops in the field and just the sound of cyclist wizzing passed.

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150250749936972[/video]

[Susie]

This is the ab female which is being chased around in the video above. I think she has some mosaic gynandromorph feature

[Susie]