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Small Blue - Favourite Photo of 2022

Week 16

So the weather remains cold – but hopefully this will yield positive results in terms of butterfly number when the season starts! To be honest it would be nice not to have to put on 15 layers before venturing out of the house!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Visited my usual site on 1st June 2022 at Glamis near Dundee. Best photos attached.

Not a brilliant picture, but a special one for me. One of the things that marked my four years in the UK was the discovery (not my discovery - it was actually Kev Ling who told me about it) of a site in Ipswich with little blues, marbled whites and brown hairstreaks - three species I'd never before seen in Suffolk. All were introduced here, but they seem to have established themselves. Thus, from May to September of 2019-2022, I made regular trips to Ipswich and spent happy hours with Suffolk exotica. Now I have moved back to Switzerland and no longer have a home in Woodbridge, it is possible I will never do this again. Certainly, I'll never cycle out along the A12 again, with Minnie on my back ...

So, in memory of those four years, here is the last Suffolk little blue I saw. It was early - 14th May - but I was deep in probate matters and didn't get back to the site until after the little blues had finished.



Guy

I saw the Small Blue at Temple Ewell 12th May, I was so surprised to see how any thing could fly there, it was cloudy and the flowers were practically none existent, we walked into the top field and it was there I was lucky to see some thing very small flying, in fact it was the only butterfly that was flying I was pleased to see they were so fresh Goldie

A difficult choice as several things from different places stand out.

The first was at Pitstone on the last day of April where it was the only one I saw.Returning to the same spot on 13th May, I came across a mating pair.The following day saw a complete change of scene in the company of Wurzel at Sidbury Hill, where there were several of the species attracted to an unevaporated puddle in a wheel rut. I liked the pose of this one half in the shade, waiting its turn on the mud.My annual trip to Hutchinsons Bank came on 22nd May, and there were good numbers dotted around the whole hillside, including these nice examples of both sexes.Finally, rather later (on 15th June), I found a small colony on Burford Spur at Box Hill, including this one on its larval food plant. Dave

My usual trip down to Bishops Hill in Warwickshire in mid May to see Small Blue produced good numbers with some posing nicely on a warm morning with plenty of passing cloud. One particular male had a good scattering of blue scales that showed up well in the light produced by one cloud that covered the sun for a couple of minutes.
Cheers,

Neil.

This lovely example posed for me back in May at Pitstone Quarry.

I tend not to see the second brood, so this one spotted on 25th July at Nicholaston Burrows wins the prize:

Another good year at my favoured site for this species. I always visit around the first week of May to see the first fresh individuals.
Cotley Hill, Wiltshire

Having been absent for many years, Small Blue reappeared in South Cambridgeshire recently and thanks to some considerate site management, it seems to be doing ok. The nearest site is only a few miles from home making it very easy to watch this charming species.

Small Blue

I initially chose a different photo for my Favourite of this species. The original shot came from the first brood in mid-May from Sidbury Hill/Duke Site. I’d arranged to show Dave around the site and it hadn’t disappointed with Marshies, Dukes, Walls as well as a good selection of Blues and the Small Blues had put on a great display of mud puddling. The shot helped me remember the day; the warmth of the coming of summer, the great butterflies and the brilliant company. In fact it was so good at prompting my memory that suddenly I had a flash recollection. One of the Small Blues had taken a shine to Dave (he probably whispered to it) and had taken up residence on his shoulder like a miniscule lepidopteran version of the Pirates parrot!
So I felt that I needed to include both images… Have a goodun

Wurzel

Last year was the first time I visited Trumpington Meadows, Cambridge for Small Blue. I remember the very first sighting was posted here about 4 years ago

I hardly saw this species at home in 2022, but was blessed with considerable numbers of these tough little butterflies in southern France.