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Roger Gibbons wrote: ↑Fri May 01, 2020 7:16 pm OK, I would guess either a Maculinea species or Meleager's (Medard's No.1, but no reason why it can't be yours as well).

If it is Maculinea, I would guess it would have to be Alcon, although I'm not sure if you've seen that.

No. Neither of those, Roger.

Given that I've changed PCs since I encountered this butterfly, I'm still struggling to retrieve my images.

I'll put you out of your misery tomorrow, but suffice to say it's something that I don't ever expect to see again.

Enjoyed reading this thread, like many others, I love the Blues.
I tend to agree with everyones choices, so I thought I would add three more, so far un-championed....
1 - my fave of all, Loew's Blue which flashes turquoise and sapphire as it flies.... 2 - the Zephyr Blue, this one from Turkey... 3 - the Alpine Zephyr Blue (thanks to a much appreciated friend).... We could have a "favourite US Blues", or "World Blues" as well....

This topic has produced some superb images, reinforcing the Blues as my favourite group of butterflies. I started to make a selection but stopped when I realised what I would have to exclude. So I reinterpreted the topic to what Blues give me the most pleasure, for me one stands out, being local, numerous, flies in beautiful places in the company of some other beauties and shows plenty of variation. For me the Chalkhill Blue is number 1.
However, the next problem is choosing an image, so two from last season and one taken in Cambridgeshire on October 21, 2018, making it a very rare Blue.

Wolfson wrote: ↑Sun May 03, 2020 9:05 am This topic has produced some superb images, reinforcing the Blues as my favourite group of butterflies. I started to make a selection but stopped when I realised what I would have to exclude. So I reinterpreted the topic to what Blues give me the most pleasure, for me one stands out, being local, numerous, flies in beautiful places in the company of some other beauties and shows plenty of variation. For me the Chalkhill Blue is number 1.
However, the next problem is choosing an image, so two from last season and one taken in Cambridgeshire on October 21, 2018, making it a very rare Blue.

I fully understand the love of Chalkhill Blues! For years (well before I began to travel further into Europe) this was my favourite British butterfly. I recall seeing it flying in the thousands on the chalk downs of the Isle of Wight as a child, on family holidays.
That October record is incredibly late!

I feel a bit of a fraud for posting this, but after all we have been asked to provide our favourite Blues, for whatever reason....

Mine is undoubtedly a Blue, and it is definitely a favourite....

My main recollection of this encounter is me and Richard Lewington yomping off in pursuit of this insect as we had both realised what it potentially was. However, the rest of the group carried on in complete ignorance because they were concentrating on the many Adonis Blues that were flying at the site we had visited.

At 1,500m, in the French Pyrenees in late May, one doesn't expect to see a fairly pale blue coloured butterfly within the maelstrom of vivid Adonis males.

#1 - Polonus

This was a hybrid bellargus x coridon and it was not only different via its colour; it's behaviour was markedly at odds with the other Blues that were flying at this location.

Soon after my return, I posted information here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8878&p=110859&hili ... us#p110859

Few people see these; even fewer recognise what they might be. I doubt I'll ever see another. I was very lucky:

David M wrote: ↑Sun May 03, 2020 5:15 pm I feel a bit of a fraud for posting this, but after all we have been asked to provide our favourite Blues, for whatever reason....

No fraud involved there David - a completely unexpected and stunning number 1!
I would never have guessed...

Interesting how this form has no chequers or black veins in the white wing edges, despite both of its parents presumably having them.

I agree, no fraud involved at all. I would have had this as my #1.

Roger