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Holly Blue - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 8

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2015!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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

I'll kick off with an open-winged female, taken on 20th June in Italy. She was one of only two holly blues I photographed this year, though I saw plenty.



Guy

Like virtually everyone else, I saw loads of these this year and I managed to get a good range of poses but I plumped for this shot as my fav, a perfect individual taken whilst awaiting the arrival of a Purple Emperor which never appeared at Bookham Commons one morning.

Holly Blues were common throughout the year on my patch - almost a daily guaranteed sighting. However, my favourite this year was a brand new male down at Botany Bay not long after the excitement of a Purple Emperor on the ground. The Blue was sucking up some concoction or other intended for the Emperors and appeared right on cue when I was discussing Holly Blue habits with others. It did pause for a short while with wings partly open too. (17th July) Dave

With the dead flowerbuds providing a typical scene of devastation that allows the responsible individual to be located, I think this is probably my favourite this year:
Cheers,

- Pete

My favourite photo is the first shot I took on the 14th April of this lovely little Butterfly because it was so unexpected,
I was talking to my neighbour when I saw a flash of Blue in her edge and to my delight it was the HB
When I saw my next HB it was at Hall-Lee-Brook on the 15th May Goldie

This female offered a few glimpses of open wings whilst ovipositing on the nondescript potted shrubs in my courtyard in June.

Although Holly Blues seemed to be an almost constant presence in my Oxon garden throughout the summer, they proved difficult to photograph.

Very 'flighty', they always seemed to choose the upperside of leaves high overhead on which to pause. So, my 'favourite' has to be of the only one that chose to rest for a short time in easy camera-reach:
Mike

I didn't keep many photos of Holly Blue this year because for some reason they turn out over-exposed with my camera.
I wait for open-wing shots then usually go home empty handed.
Here is one from June 10th from my lunchtime patch in Vitrolles in the south of France. Chris

Plenty of these photogenic butterflies to be seen this year, particularly the latter brood in August.

Quite a few popped up at the Brown Hairstreak site in Pembrokeshire during my visits. This female obligingly settled with her wings open:

Plenty of Holly Blues around this year with spring brood examples hanging on quite late giving the impression of an almost continuous emergence through the year, particularly in my garden where all my photos of this species were taken.

A couple of first brood examples...
I rather like this shot of an individual taking moisture from the outside of a Spanish Bluebell,
A second brood female...
and in mid September, the distinctive feeding damage on my Ivy helped me to find a few caterpillars,
Cheers,

Neil

I had a particularly fruitful transect for Holly Blues this year at Great Warley, Essex. There was a nice horseride between Jermaines Wood and the M25 that was very steamy after overnight rain and attracted 15 Holly Blues one morning. These two were ignoring the main fayre on offer, preferring bird dropping instead.

Holly Blue

This was a remarkable and good year it seemed for Holly Blues after a few years where they’ve been at the lower end of their population boom and bust. Remarkable for me in that I found them in a few unusual places and often without trying - at Five Rivers low down in the grass and again low down at Laverstock. However my fave was taken on a quick stop off at my sister in-laws. I was only out of the car for a minute to drop something off and a small blue leaf seemed to drift down from the bushes lodging itself in the lavender. After a quick double take I realised it was a Holly Blue and so my minute drop-off became a 3 minute stop so I could take a few shots. Have a goodun

Wurzel