Interesting Silver-studded Blue analysis

[Pete Eeles]

Really enjoyed reading this - and you might too, so thought I'd post

I feel an urge to get myself to some of these sites next year!

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~zool0376/PargusAnimalConserv.pdf

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gibster]

A very nice, thought provoking paper. Thanks for sharing!

I've seen the Great Orme Silver-studded Blues (and Graylings, which fly over the same areas) and the Prees Heath Silver-studded Blues. The Prees Heath population shows variable hindwing markings on the males, often approaching (or matching) masseyi although the wingshape is different. They seem pretty much the "same" beast as I'm used to seeing on my local Surrey heathlands. But the caernensis individuals are amazingly different!! Tiny wee things flipping away over grassy swards on a hillside surrounded by bracken and houses. And, as the paper explains, the females have a gorgeous lustrous sheen to the upperwings.

I enjoyed reading the part which hypothesises how the different races evolved through being isolated in a naturally changing (recovering) landscape. Looking at Graylings we can see an even greater degree of subspecific development. To pick extremes look at those found on the Great Orme and compare them to the handsome beggars at Ardnamurchan, stunningly different from each other. And Ireland has yet more races (Grayling subsp atlantica may just about be my favourite UK butterfly!)

Sami and I did a Big Butterfly Year in 2010 and attempted to see all UK species AND all of their races. It was a real eye-opener! I wish we'd been more into photography as even the humble Meadow Brown morphs into a stunning beauty by the time you reach The Hebrides.

So if you're a bit fed up seeing the same old faces year in year out, make the effort to track down a few far-flung races in wonderful places would be my advice (and take a camera!)

Cheers,

Gibster.

[Pete Eeles]

Sami and I did a Big Butterfly Year in 2010 and attempted to see all UK species AND all of their races.

Thanks Seth - I took a good look at your sightings and correlated that against the UKBMS and BC branch data when I updated the phenology charts. My conclusion is that, despite this analysis, you're always going to be up against the weather, and you need to be able to change plan at the last minute! And for those wanting to read more (you're too modest, Seth!):

http://butterflyblitz2010.webs.com/
http://www.butterflyblitz2011.webs.com/

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gibster]

Ha! Cheers for the plug, Pete. I occasionally go back to that 2010 blog and wonder if I ought to reword parts and scrap others, but figure it's a peek at how I saw/thought things at the time so have resisted (apart from to update Real's Wood White to Cryptic Wood White.)

Glad to hear you used it in your research for flight times. Makes me feel like it actually has a worthwhile use, lol

Cheers,

Seth.