Adonis Blue - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Starting this week the first opportunity to showcase your favourite shots of 2014! Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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.
Here we got then!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Two broods, so two favourites - both from Denbies Hillside. The first was back on 14th May:

first brood

and the second on 1st August.

second brood

(The colour differences were down to the angle of the light and time of day - I read recently that the scales of blue butterflies are clear and without pigment. The glorious iridescence is all refraction.)

I would say that the numbers at Denbies were not particularly high this year, but the second brood emerged on and off throughout an indifferent August weatherwise, and were still flying into mid-September.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Adonis Blue - 31-05-214

This is a great one to start with as when I was thinking about my favourite shots it covered so many of the criteria – place, pose, people and that little something extra that makes a shot stick in your mind.

For me this was my favourite of all my Adonis Blue shots as first it was taken at my Duke site which was rapidly growing in my affections as it hosts a whole range of species all within short walking distance from the car. It’s relatively undiscovered so often you can have the whole site to yourself. I also really liked the pose as it really shows off the dark chocolaty black of the hind wings which are usually covered by the fore wings. In terms of people when this shot was taken I was on my own but I remember the day as later I crashed a Wiltshire branch meeting.

In terms of the little bit of sparkle that was provided by the glorious blue scales contrasting with the vivid orange lunules and set off so nicely by the dark ground colour. At first it used to be all about the males but now I’ve been butterflying for a few more years I’m finding myself more and more in awe at the range, from striking or subtle, of the markings of the females.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

This freshly emerged 2nd brood male seen at Swellshill Bank, nr. Stroud, on 8th August 2014 was notable because of its 'two-tone' hue:

[badgerbob]

I hesitate to put this one up as it is so nearly what I was after, and yet so far. The 2nd brood of Adonis was quite disappointing at High and Over this year but I spent a lot of time searching for a newly emerged male with this one being my only find. Although it posed very nicely it unfortunately hadn't formed properly one side on its wings. More early mornings required next year!!

[Neil Freeman]

What could be better on a cold dark evening with the rain hammering against the windows than to start looking back through my photos of such a brilliant species

This year was actually the first time that I had ever seen first brood Adonis Blues, which I saw on Bonchurch Down on the IOW when I was there in late May. The shot of the male below is one of the first that I took and is probably the nearest that I managed to take that captures the electric blue colour.

Adonis Blue - Bonchurch Down IOW 27.05.2014

I also quite like the shot of the female below, again from Bonchurch Down but taken on the following afternoon when I walked up there again.

Adonis Blue female - Bonchurch Down 28.05.2014

As in the past few years, early September saw me in Dorset, where I saw second brood Adonis Blues at Ballard Down, Durlston CP, Bindon Hill, Durdle Door, and Osmington. Numbers were generally lower than I have seen in previous years although there were plenty of fresh ones about and it was obvious that they were still emerging. The path up to white Horse Hill at Osmington provided the largest numbers and I took numerous photos as they basked in the early evening sun before roosting.

Adonis Blue - Osmington Dorset 03.09.2014

I particularly like the second brood female below from Osmington and think she makes an interesting comparison with the first brood female above. I know that females can be variable, especially in the amount of blue scales, but it seemed to me that the second brood females were generally a darker brown than the first brood with the earlier ones looking to be a 'warmer' brown. Almost like the difference between dark chocolate and milk chocolate, if that makes any sense.

Adonis Blue female - Osmington Dorset 03.09.2014

Cheers,

Neil.

[MikeOxon]

I selected this female for the beautiful contrast between the rich chocolate brown and the vivid blue scales sprinkling her hind wings. She was the first Adonis that I saw this year, at Lough Down above Streatley.

Lough Down, Streatley - 21st May 2014
Lumix FZ200 (fl=104mm) - 1/320s@f/5.6 ISO100

Mike

[Susie]

Back in the spring I drove down to Wiltshire to see marsh fritillaries. It was a long way to go and as I got closer to the site the weather got worse and my hopes of seeing anything fell. I trudged up the hill with the butterfly hound through the drizzle and sitting to my left along the path was this little beauty which raised my spirits. I took a few snaps before it flew off. It turned out to be blooming good for the marsh frits as the rain dried up for a while after all and I am still very grateful to the person who told me about the site

[Nigel Kiteley]

I have several favourite Adonis Blue images and all were taken at Pinfarthings near Stroud on three separate visits in August.

The first image was taken on August 16th when myself and John Starkey found several copulating pairs on a warm sunny bank where females were emerging.I was very happy as this was the first time i had seen and photographed copulating Adonis Blues.

Up next is another first, a male ab photographed on August 17th.

Finally a selection of males and females.