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A thread in which to post your favourite photo(s) of 2011 of Adonis Blue.

Part of a series inspred by ChrisC's thread about 'Favourite Photos' and hopefully growing throughout the winter until all 58 British species have been covered.

Details of places, dates, times and circumstances also appreciated. Feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, personal encounters, anecdotes, anything really...

my first ever (only so far) sunlit Adonis, 19/8 at Martin Down. laid for a while just admiring him when i really should have been taking pictures,

A pair of Adonis from Denbies on 7th May. Two of a great many, and two perfect individuals when many were deformed/aberrant. A reminder too of the glorious spring weather.

Dave

Also from Denbies this year - 13th May to be exact - after a tipoff from Susie of the proportion of aberrants (and deformities!). This was one of a small number of ab. krodeli that was perfectly formed. And I met philzoid too Memories of a very happy day.
Cheers,

- Pete

Haven't seen a UK Adonis for some years until an opportunity in August this year. Nothing showing at Lulworth, so wandered to Durlston, aware of it's promise, but a new site for me... not many, indeed only 3 seen, but boy they were fresh!!

My very first Adonis ever I took the the picture on a very windy day at Temple Ewell Kent. I looked for a sunny sheltered place and there they were. I was so excited i forgot to take the lense cap off I'd to wait patiently then for one to settle i won't forget the date August 8th late morning. Goldie M

This was taken at Martin Down on a blustery Saturday in early August (07-08). I'd literally just arrived at Borkerley Ditch from Sillens Lane, sat down on the path and was enjoying my first sip of coffee when this chap appeared, the wind dropped, the sun came out and I was almost blinded by the glittering blue, happy daze!

I'm going to be greedy and have two if I may. These are both taken at Denbies Hill on the same day (10th May 2011). The first was taken in the afternoon, which was scorching hot, and the second when I went back in the cool of the evening to see the butterflies roost.

I was very excited to see this absolutely pristine and stunning male ab which could have only hatched a few hours before at the most but it was very windy and getting a shot was a nightmare. I ended up trying to block the wind with my body to stop the butterfly from being buffeted so much. For me the most memorable thing this summer were the aberrant butterflies .

For the second photo, the female, this was the first time I had seen them roosting in the evening, I think, and I was in awe (plus the wind had dropped and it was so much easier to get a photo! You can't see it in the photo I have uploaded for the web but in the picture I have everything is in focus and crystal clear which I don't manage very often).

I arrived at Denbies at about 4.40pm. it was overcast with the usual wind in attendance but was still hopeful of getting a few pictures. It was roughly 7 o`clock when i took this picture and the light was poor so i was rather pleased with the end result.

The picture was taken on the 29.8.2011. shooting mode A.V. shutter speed 1/30. A.V. 8. exposure compensation -1/3. ISO 200. white balance/cloudy

nick

I feel I need two images as well in order to explain the story. I visited Denbies Hillside for the first time ever this year despite it being only 25 miles from home. I was planning to go anyway but Susie's reports of aberrant Adonii prompted a visit on 13th May, arriving in the afternoon and just missing Pete Eeles. It took a while to find anything close to an aberration, but I finally encountered a fresh male. I got a couple of shots and was reviewing them while waiting for the wind ease and suddenly realised that the underside markings were different on each side . He was not a very strong flier due to having a slight deformity on the trailing edge of the hind wings so I was able to continue to stalk him until he settled on a good spot.
I felt very pleased that day because I had finally visited my nearest reliable Adonis colony and managed to photograph such an unusual individual .

Vince

My first Adonis Blues, and my last species of 2011 (along with Silver Spotted Skipper), taken at Denbies, 27-Aug. Heavy rain and flooded roads just before we arrived, but the sun came out for us:


Denbies Hillside, 27-Aug-11. Sony DSLR-A700, Tamron 180/3.5 macro, 1/1250s f/6.3 iso200

And even though the head's out of focus on this one, a big photographic no-no, I like that it shows the irridescence:

Denbies Hillside, 27-Aug-11. Sony DSLR-A700, Tamron 180/3.5 macro, 1/1250s f/5.6 iso200

It's a long drive from Nottingham to get to see adonis blues - so it's not every year that I get a chance... but I did manage to squeeze in a trip to see this year's second brood at Denbies. This was on Sunday 14th August, only about six weeks ago... but it seems like a lot longer for some reason... hmmmn...

...anyhoo, I chose this picture - not because it was the best framed, or the best pose, or the sharpest focus - but because it seemed the closest I got to capturing that amazing blue radiance the adonis has.

Due to circumstances meaning that I cannot travel too far in a day, the only chance that I had to see Adonis Blue this year was at Rodborough Common / Swellshill Bank where the photos below were taken.

I am including these as, although they are far from perfect, I feel that they show the Adonis Blue colour well and the way it reflects in the sun. Also, and most important to me, I like them
Cheers,

Neil F.

OK, it's a butterfly on a stick and, OK, it's wing is damaged but It's always great to see that flash of electric blue!
Mike

dilettante wrote:

Due to its inherent irridescence, this butterfly is hard to capture on film as it appears in the flesh.

You often have to get the angle just right, and most of the best male Adonis Blue shots seem to be from either unusual angles or where the wings are partially closed.

Dilettante's image is a good example of this. The colour reflects what you see in the field.

The way the light is caught makes such a difference to the colour, though this is quite variable anyway. Here are a couple of images from 21st May 2010 (Denbies). One is almost the violet of a Common Blue, the other the characteristic turquoise shade the butterfly is known for. The former is in the sun, the latter in bright shade.

Dave

I took this Adonis Blue photo at Pewsey Down in Wilts on 21st August. It was quite cloudy & breezy but in sheltered spots there was just enough sun for the males to sit with their wings open.

A late entry only just discovered the species specific threads. I saw my very first Adonis blue on 29th August 2011 at Fontmell Down, Dorset.