www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

In the field today and it's almost solid Yellow Rattle. First Common Blue, Small White, Common Blue Damselfly, also Small Copper and Stonechats.I also saw the Common Blue nectaring from bush vetch which I haven't seen before.

I visited Trumpington Meadows last week, a great site for Small Blues in Cambridge and conveniently within cycling distance of college. We found around 20 adults and lots of eggs on the kidney vetch. I thought it was interesting how the adults live in a very different habitat to where their eggs are laid. Many of the adults spent their time in the long grass or even scrub, while some stayed on large patches of Lesser Bird's-Foot Trefoil to nectar. The eggs were laid nearby on Kidney Vetch which was in much more open patches of ground, and we saw no adults near it so they must only go there to lay. It was also nice to see Small Heaths and the English subspecies of Orange Tip, where the female has white hindwings which I had not seen before. This is a lovely landscape and has quite rich grassland which I am told was created recently. I saw grass vetchling which was another first for me.

Great set of shots Jake Interesting point that you made about the Orange-tip - I'd forgotten the differences between the two subspecies to your post prompted me to have a catch-up

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely image of the Small Blue on your hand, Jake.

Well done for getting that shot of the ovum too.

It was surprisingly easy to find ova - every flowerhead that was well-developed enough had at least 1!