Cheers Pauline
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
A lucky shot that was
Cheers Goldie
Collard Hill 2015
Last year I finally made the journey to Collard Hill to make acquaintance with the Large Blue. It was a poor year for them and so I only saw two females, both with wings closed. This year, fresh from Heath Fritillaries, I was hoping for a few more encounters with Big Blue!
Somehow I managed to wangle some time out from the chores and so set off bright and early for Somerset with the added bonus of an “open and closed wing” prediction from K. After shaving a number of minutes off of the SatNav time I pulled into the car park, booted up and was away. There were several Meadow Browns in amidst the longer grasses on the way as well as plenty of Spotted Orchids with the odd Butterfly Orchid thrown in. A blue bombed towards me and just for a fraction of a second I wondered if I could really be that jammy, of course I wasn’t it was just a Common.
![003 - Copy-001.JPG (1018.55 KiB) Viewed 669 times 003 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_050a7dab972870f212af262555644f9b)
Having eventually crossed the road – possibly the most dangerous part of the whole trip – I was on site and eyes peeled. Reports on the Blog suggested first that the Quarry would be good, then the Glades and then the scrub; so pretty much the whole site then. This led me to think that it would be a case bumbling along until I eventually stumbled onto one rather than actively stalking out one little part and with this plan in mind I set off first down the quarry, across the field and towards the Glades. On the way I spied a female Common Blue, looking all slate blue and trying to convince me that she was a Large but her orangey spots gave her away. There were also some more Meadow Browns, the odd Small Heath as well as a Large Skipper hanging out near the Brambles and in the Glade a Marbled White. No Large Blue though – and I started to criticise myself for not “genning” up before coming as I didn’t really know what I was looking for.
My meanderings meant that I was now back at the line of scrub in the middle of the Down and at the foot of the hill I saw a couple of people leaning over a patch of ground and as I got closer I could make out a little white flag. Two of us managed to stay with it as if fluttered weakly around the foot of the hill amongst the scrub. Luckily it opened up despite the sun and there was my first open winged shot of a Large Blue.
![054 - Copy-001.JPG (1.63 MiB) Viewed 669 times Not the best shot but check the colour!](./files/thumb_9821_6e6d4d660a81bc5a863aa6cc5e296446)
- Not the best shot but check the colour!
After following it up the side of the slope and through one of the gaps in the scrub it started making as if to oviposit and so we watched it even more intently and as it landed again I spied a second one. The other couple of gents followed one and I stayed with the second which I also thought was a female. I was able to ascertain that it was because it moved and then laid an egg on a small patch of Thyme, right next to an ant burrow.
![086 - Copy-001.JPG (1.48 MiB) Viewed 669 times 086 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_d696706e6a99d97ea72fe6ee04275458)
![102 - Copy-001.JPG (1.43 MiB) Viewed 669 times 102 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_6ffe4fe1abb92ca970b2b5210ed3ff00)
![122 - Copy-001.JPG (1.14 MiB) Viewed 669 times 122 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_f7bd802c8ddbbd08c9841b9e26822d5a)
![140 - Copy-001.JPG (1.26 MiB) Viewed 669 times 140 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_c7fc69e0ff834ba054c45e3a4862844f)
![144 - Copy-001.JPG (1.36 MiB) Viewed 669 times 144 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_23a2b0542752ab00a0d767c00a34e968)
![154 - Copy-001.JPG (452.12 KiB) Viewed 669 times 154 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_8da74de2847b7ffcebf37a87468f4747)
Things were going brilliantly; I’d equalled the two that I had seen last year as well as getting my first egg and open wing shots. I paused in the shade to check through my photos and saw two blue butterflies moving slowly up the hill, the smaller one was hassling the large one and the something about the shade of blue suggested they were both Large. They passed me by and I then watched their progress. I was hoping that they were going to mate and eyed the large Dragonfly that made a few passes cautiously – although what I would have done should it have struck I don’t know? Luckily neither was taken and they landed the bigger one seemed calm and just perched with wings closed whilst the smaller one buzzed around it in an agitated manner until eventually it backed up and locked on. Amazing a pair in cop! They seemed to have found an unsuitable place to mate as they constantly moved around the leaf changing their position as if trying to get comfortable. They couldn’t and so took a very short flight still locked together to a blade of grass which the larger one (female?) shimmied up to the top of dragging the smaller (male?) one behind.
![189 - Copy-001.JPG (1.39 MiB) Viewed 669 times 189 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_67ed8baa473291ec50113f9f27bbd255)
![190 - Copy-001.JPG (1.14 MiB) Viewed 669 times 190 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_ef16e3e9bb0dcaeed2d98382324f6c3b)
![228 - Copy-001.JPG (957.81 KiB) Viewed 669 times 228 - Copy-001.JPG](./files/thumb_9821_f58a0065cdbcc4a1887c42e4241d05a3)
I left them in relative peace having put someone else onto them and then checked out the very top of the field where there were two blues, a Common and a male Large Blue, fresh out of the box! It was simply stunning. While I was photographing it an ant crawled onto my jeans which if it is the correct species would make a great addition to the day.
I started to make my way homewards only to be waylaid by another two Large Blues – one sitting and waiting to be found, the other not stopping at all and actively seeking.
What a morning! Males, females, open wings, closed wings egg laying and egg, mating pair, freshly emerged and possibly the ant – almost the entire life cycle!
Have a goodun
Wurzel