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

Part of a series inspired 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...

I took My photo of this CB at Seasalter Kent, the BF would fly off but keep returning to the same spot, it was late morning and very hot early July. Seasalter is a favourite spot of mine, I saw my very first Clouded Yellow here so return there every year. It helps when your family lives in Kent and you can visit Goldie M

I found that I hardly took any CB pictures this year, and I don't recall seeing that many of them.

I like this one as an example of how blue the females can be:


14-May-2011. Sony A700, Tamron 180 macro, 1/125s f/11.0,iso200

this was an easy choice for me, I watched this chap for about 5 minutes in very close proximity, he was very obliging at the Portland meet with Gibster, sammi, susie and philzoid. no lulworth skippers but this little guy made it very worthwhile. one of my butterfly highlights of the year on what was a day full of personal highs and lows.

This was taken at Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm and I liked it as it was taken during a stolen moment. The girls were busy making "sand angels" and running round the field blowing raspberries at the goats and cheering at the piglets. So I nipped off to a little overgrown area, an oasis in a sea of grass and animals, and this little beauty made my stroll worthwhile. Have a goodun

Wurzel

In common with others, I've chosen a blue female. Photos never seem to do these exquisite creatures justice, as they flit like animated jewels low down in the vegetation, and this picture is no exception. However, it stirs the memory.

Taken at Harmondsworth Moor, near Heathrow, on 11th May.

Dave

I really like the colour of common blues and actually prefer them to their more famous cousins, the adonis. I can't choose between my favourite pics ... so won't.

Earlier in the year I met UK Butterflies member Pauline at Botany Bay and had a lovely day. She was an excellent host and showed me around. We went to see wood whites but I really liked the photos I took of this pair (and their little friend). I'm also going to add a common blue from the trip to Portland. It was a great day even though I never did see the little owls in the quarry (but we (Philzoid, Seth, Sami and myself) did see the peregrins!). In September I went up to Kithurst Hill and took this pic, which is probably my last wild butterfly photograph of this year I expect.

There are some lovely images on this thread!

I love the blue scaling on this female: Steyning Rifle Range, Aug 21st 2011

This one is perhaps a little macabre: Malling Down, Aug 7th 2011

What exactly is the passenger? Do they kill the butterfly or are they a harmless parasite?

Cheers
John

Common Blue females are a constant source of interest to me because they are so variable and I always seek them out. I did not get many photos this year but this was my best.
I also had a new experience when I briefly reared a Common Blue larva from an egg which was laid in the garden. The larva has not been seen for over a month, but I hope it has just bedded down for the winter.
Only time will tell...............

Vince

This little chap was an unexpected treat for me on a cold, gusty, dark and dismal 15th of May. After all that fabulous early Spring weather we'd been having, things had turned decidedly miserable in the midlands - so I gave up on butterflies and went in search of the colony of green-winged orchids at Muston Meadows NNR on the Notts-Lincs-Leics border not far from where I live.

I found them... but they were well past their best (I'll try again next year now I know where they are). Anyhoo, I wasn't expecting to see any butterflies at all - but I almost stepped on this fellow, who was gainfully clinging on to this seedhead with a steely resolve and grim determination.

While it may not be my best picture of a Common Blue for the year, I very much enjoyed this one I took at Grafton Wood (Worcestershire) in late August this year. I'd gone to see the Brown Hairstreaks but didn't see any: the weather was too changeable, with cloud coming over as soon as the sun came out. Nevertheless there were plenty of butterflies on the Common Fleabane and Ragwort at the side of the woods nearest the Church. There were plenty of large Dragonflies, Common Blues, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and a few Red Admirals by the small pool there. This was the best Common Blue though, and I really liked the combination of the blue against the yellow.

Michael

John W wrote:There are some lovely images on this thread!

I love the blue scaling on this female:

common-blue2.jpg

Steyning Rifle Range, Aug 21st 2011

That one is a beauty, John W.

I took this photo of a pair of CBs at Newborough Warren Anglesey on the 31 of May.

Piers wrote:That one is a beauty, John W.

Thanks Piers! I particularly like the very pale blue or whitish areas near the edge of the lower wings.
I spotted it on Kipper's Brown Hairstreak walk in between admiring the Brown Hairstreaks he was conjuring up!

Cheers
John

The first image is one of the last pictures i took with my Sigma 70-300 macro before i up-dated with a new lens.

The picture was taken at the back of my garden on 31 st. May.

Shutter speed 1/25, A.V. 18, ISO. 200, white balance, auto.

The next two images were taken with a Sigma 150 macro, at Oaken Wood, my local patch.

Thought i would add this photo, because a certain someone on this forum likes this sort of picture, [Susie]

Again it was taken at the back of my garden, with a Sigma 70-300 macro lens.

S.S. 1/30, A.V. 22, ISO, 200, W.B. Auto.

That is a corker, Nick.

My favourite was this female from Bernwood Meadows in July.
Cheers

Lee

Hi Lee,

I saw the little beauty the day before and did`nt manage to get a picture. So i went back the following day to hunt her down, spent hours trying to get a photo, and when i finally get an opportunity, what happens, of all the flowers in all the world this little bug picks this one to walk across just as i`m about to take a picture. How inconsiderate , thanks,

Nick.

This one is probably my favourite Common Blue photo, taken at a local spot near Solihull at the end of August.
I did not notice the little bug when I took the shot....He looks a bit put out that something else has landed on his flower
Cheers,

Neil F.

hideandseek wrote:Thought i would add this photo, because a certain someone on this forum likes this sort of picture, [Susie]

Again it was taken at the back of my garden, with a Sigma 70-300 macro lens.

S.S. 1/30, A.V. 22, ISO, 200, W.B. Auto.

Just catching up with this thread, and you're not wrong there, Nick, that's a corker*!



*Corker, that's such a great old fashioned word, Lee!