Common Blue query

[Nigel P]

I was out with my son at College Lake near Tring today and we're not sure of this Blue. The closest we can get is a female Common Blue F. celina, which from at looking Tolman/Lewington shouldn't be here.

Help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Nigel

[David M]

That's quite some specimen!

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Nigel,

I have had a look at Tolman/Lewington and it's a bit confusing. I'm not sure whether that particular illustration is supposed to represent a female f. celina (Central Europe and NW Africa) or a female colour variant of icarus. In any event your particular individual is a striking example of an icarus female showing one of the many colour variations that crop up in this species. See aberrations on this link. http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... ies=icarus
This season has been a particularly good one for such variants.

Vince

[Nigel P]

Hi Vince,

Thanks very much for your informative and helpful reply. The butterfly really caused some head-scratching at the time as it was so different from the other female Common Blues that were around.

Nigel

[Cotswold Cockney]

That is a very fine specimen of this beautiful butterfly.

Pleased to say the Common Blue has been resident in my own particular little reserve since I bought it twenty years ago. Some years very blue females are more prevalent than those with less blue. Always nice to see them each year.

My son and several of his young friends had a bar-be-que and spent the night there camping this weekend before the rains set in. Lots of butterflies and several species of Birds of Prey during the day... and noisy owls at night. Good show ...

Several of the mature Oaks there have their population of Purple Hairstreaks. I have not positively seen one this season although my visits have been fewer than usual and weather far from ideal during them.
.