www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Week 9.

Here is the opportunity to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2013 (or the last time you saw one!).

This is part of a series of topics which will grow over 20 weeks throughout the winter, eventually covering all 59 species which are regularly found in the British Isles. The intention is to showcase three species per week (in alphabetical order), so please wait until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos. Our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants.

Details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, stories of personal encounters, anecdotes or other interesting points.

Vince

Although it was generally a poor year for Large Blue in UK, I was fortunate to find a small number at Daneway Banks, Glos., - much near to my home than Collard Hill. I had spent most of an afternoon searching, as well as an earlier day, and then someone else spotted one! After that, a few others turned up - probably 4 - 6 individuals on the wing in a fairly small area. I did get a few topside shots of a very worn specimen but, overall, this was my favourite photo from the day.
Mike

It's been a couple of years since I visited Collard for the Large Blue, so I must be due a visit in 2014. This image was taken on 3rd June 2011, on a warm afternoon. I had followed a female up and down the slope many times, in an attempt to assess the number of eggs laid per hour. As she deposited another, this time near the top of the slope on the crest of a ridge running down the Eastern Glade, I was afforded the rare opportunity of a shot uncluttered by a tangle of grass stems.

I stopped off at Collard Hill for a couple of hours on my way back from the Heddon Valley back in early July. I soon found a small group of fellow enthusiasts gathered around a mating pair and took a few photos.
After a while the pair separated and whilst the male flew off, the female stayed around for a bit longer.
I only managed a few shots of her showing any topside blue with her wings part open but as this was the first time that I had seen Large Blues I was pleased enough with my photos
Cheers,

Neil.

I thought I'd try to be smart and visit Collard Hill the day immediately prior to the Glastonbury Festival this year.

My rationale was that it might be a quiet day. I was wrong. The slopes were quite suffocating and I found it all rather unseemly. There were at least 20 individuals when I arrived fairly early, and I was almost grateful to 'decamp' as the Large Blues are usually concentrated in a small number of areas on this site, and every one of those areas had people lurking.

I didn't concentrate too much on the quality of photographs (I couldn't, as every time an opportunity presented itself I has people to my left, people to my right...)

This male was the best I could do:

This is all I've got for Large Blues from 2 years ago (my first butterfly season) in the Savoie region of France.
Chris

We didn't get to Collard Hill in 2013, so instead include photos of a freshly emerged Large Blue we saw in the Dordogne in 2012.