www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I would like to put another idea on the aberrations to all you learned gentlemen and lady.(Butterfly people are much more polite than birders!).I have been struck by watching the posture of Marsh Frits.after emerging,and you can see a slight evidence of fluid on the wing on the photo taken by Guy.I have added another one where it is far more obvious.After emerging,the wings appear to be covered with a glossy liquid and they need to rest and dry off-like dragonflies.This means in the chrysalis there is a certain amount of fluid present.This presumably is like amniotic fluid and will resist freezing temperatures down to a certain level,but below that it will freeze.This could cause damage to the most delicate structures,i.e.the wings.This last winter it was particularly cold and Denbies Hill was one of the bleakest spots.This could also explain why certain species cannot go too far north.So,I am suggesting it is all down to freezing!
P.J.U.

Sorry,I meant these photo's,they show it better!
P.J.U.

That's a really interesting theory and something I'd not considered. What does everyone else think?

Very interesting thread.
I am not sure what the recent weather has been like down there.
Here in the Midlands, until the past few days we had a run of unseasonbly warm weather with the ground at some of my local sites showing the sort of cracks from drying out that we would not usually see until much later in the year, if at all.
At the same time the nights were still very cold with frosts.
I am just wondering if the weather down at Denbies was similar with warm days and overnight frosts. It may well be the combination of conditions that is playing a part.
Is there a large population of Adonis at Denbies. I believe that genetic aberations are more likely to occur in smaller populations, especially if they are isolated and the gene pool is not refreshed with fresh stock.

Cheers,

Neil.

Here are a couple more photos from Denbies taken yestrday, this time of a female Adonis. The upperside seems fairly normal apart from the slight deformity on the left hind wing, but the underside shows variations. I did not notice until I got home and started to process the photos that the left and right undersides are different from each other.
I also found a Crab Spider which was clearly at the back of the queue when the camouflage was being handed out. All the was left was a set of yellow eyebrows, which I don't think are going to fool anyone .
Sorry to have missed Pete, who I assume visited in the morning. I did not arrive until 2pm and left at 5pm.
Susie, can you please PM and let me know where the greatest concentration of aberrants is to be found. I only looked on the two obvious slopes of Horseshoe Vetch down the path from the car park (starting in the field with the Yew tree).

Vince

Some good theories developing here. Clearly some temperature breeding experiments are called for. I don't know where the stock could be obtained. At places like Denbies, population numbers can be staggering so taking a few wouldn't do any harm. However, many Adonis Blue sites are on reserves (including Denbies) and it wouldn't be allowable to take specimens. Moreover, I don't know the conservation status of Adonis Blue but whatever that is, I wouldn't have thought the species was in any great danger nowadays.

Jack

I went to Denbies Saturday - not just for the Adonis abs, I haven't seen one so far this year, and I missed the spring brood last year.

I did find some unusual specimens though. Of the 25/30 that I counted, I would say about 1 in 4 were abberant or/and deformed.

I'll post some photos in my diary but this one sticks out. The more I look at it, there's something wrong with the colour. Could it be polonus?
Cheers

Lee

In my experience of seeing Adonis Blues over the last few years, they seem to vary in colour from close to the same almost violet blue of the Common Blue, to a greeny-turquoise. The angle to the light makes a big difference too, even with the same butterfly.

Dave

You could be right there Dave, it does look more like Common Blue colour.

Cheers

Lee

.

Here is another case.A deformed Glanville,seen at Wrecclesham today.It is fresh,and the weather has been cool recently.It is on the S.side of the North Downs,where temps were down to minus 24degrees centigrade this winter..At that temperature the haemolymph would be very viscous,like neat antifreeze at minus 28degrees,and it could do much damage.We were the coldest part of the country for a period in Jan.If any defect is genetic,it will be present in the second brood.If due to damage it won't.Sorry,I forgot the picture first time.
P.J.U.

Except....these are captive bred aren't they?

Cheers

Lee

Lee Hurrell wrote:Except....these are captive bred aren't they?

Cheers

Lee

I think this colony is self-sustaining and has been at the site for 2 or 3 years.

Cheers,

- Pete

Ah, apologies both, I wasn't aware.

Cheers

Lee

P.J.U

Sorry,I forgot the picture first time.

When I make a mistake like that, rather than send a new posting, I edit the original.

Jack

My local info is that there has been a small colony here since 2002!
P.J.U.

P.J.U.

My local info is that there has been a small colony here since 2002!

Presumably introduced. Any more details?

Jack

Sorry,no.
P.J.U.

Jack Harrison wrote:P.J.U.

My local info is that there has been a small colony here since 2002!

Presumably introduced. Any more details?

Jack

This is running in a separate thread. See viewtopic.php?t=5175&start=1000

Cheers,

- Pete

I realise this is exceedingly last minute....just noticed that there's a Surrey BC Walk to Denbies Hillside TODAY at 11am. That's two and a half hours from NOW!!!! Could be interesting to quiz the leader re thoughts on the aberrant Adonis Blues?

Gibster.