Re: Padfield
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:08 pm
I arrived back on Sunday to a chilly Switzerland, after two weeks in the UK. Much of this time was spent in London but I also enjoyed clouded yellows, blues, coppers and graylings on the Suffolk coast.
This was the scene from my chalet yesterday:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/17sep2013a.jpg)
I guess that will have been a shock to the high mountain butterflies...
This afternoon, however, the sun came out for a brief period and at about 15h00 I set off in search of long-tailed blues. While everyone in England was seeing these (or so it seemed) they had eluded me out here, even in sites where they are usually reliable. Today it seemed the pattern would continue, as my local 'tails' site had loads of Adonis blues, a few common blues, a couple of brown arguses but apparently no other Lycaenids. Then, shortly before the clouds and rain reappeared, I spotted a couple of tiny blues disappearing vertically into the sky, locked in combat. Only long-tailed blues do that. One of them then descended nearby, half-heartedly posed as if defending a territory, and then began nectaring avidly:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013a.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013c.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013d.jpg)
When the clouds completely covered the sky he repaired to a leaf and I headed home, as I could see heavy rain coming:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013f.jpg)
Guy
This was the scene from my chalet yesterday:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/17sep2013a.jpg)
I guess that will have been a shock to the high mountain butterflies...
This afternoon, however, the sun came out for a brief period and at about 15h00 I set off in search of long-tailed blues. While everyone in England was seeing these (or so it seemed) they had eluded me out here, even in sites where they are usually reliable. Today it seemed the pattern would continue, as my local 'tails' site had loads of Adonis blues, a few common blues, a couple of brown arguses but apparently no other Lycaenids. Then, shortly before the clouds and rain reappeared, I spotted a couple of tiny blues disappearing vertically into the sky, locked in combat. Only long-tailed blues do that. One of them then descended nearby, half-heartedly posed as if defending a territory, and then began nectaring avidly:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013a.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013c.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013d.jpg)
When the clouds completely covered the sky he repaired to a leaf and I headed home, as I could see heavy rain coming:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2013/boeticus18sep2013f.jpg)
Guy