www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

what a lovely evening

Here I hope are 2 images, (it all seems too easy).

The first one I think is a male Adonis Blue, but there were 2 on Denbies Hillside sparring but never really settling, and I couldn't get close.
The second I think is a Small Tort crawling across the kitchen wall, do they eat anything apart from nettles, as unfortunately we have none in our garden?
thanks

richard

Hi Richard,

The first image is certainly a male Adonis Blue, Polyommatus bellargus. The second, I'm fairly sure, appears to be the larva of the Scarlet Tiger moth, Callimorpha dominula.

Hope that helps.

Kind regards. Mark

Absolutely an Adonis Blue male!! They've only just emerged so you did well to get an audience!

I thought Scarlet Tiger too. UKmoths says they feed on Comfrey, amongst other plants. A friend saw them recently on Alkanet, also in the Borage family.

Adonis Blue male is easily distinguished from Common Blue by the black veins that extend through the white fringes at the edges of the wings. The colour of Adonis is different but some Common Blues can be remarkably brilliant and less purple than usual. Female Adonis Blue is rather more tricky although not unduly so. Of course female blues hanging around with male Adonis are more than likely to be Adonis. (Yes, I know about hybrids with Chalkhill but that's not what we are talking about here).

Jack

Well I thought Scarlet Tiger too possibly, and now you say Alkanet I say "OK, as we have no Comfrey!"

Do any of you have a nice nettle patch in you garden for these winged flowers?

Oh, here is an picture from the 90's of one (or is it a Jersey Tiger) whispering in our eldest daughter's ear.

richard

Yes, it is a Jersey Tiger.