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Large 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

In southern France, the butterfly oviposits on marjoram (as I understand it does at one or two Somerset sites), but in much taller vegetation than it uses here. This one was keeping to the shade, as the temperature was around 40C at the time. Just around the corner from where this photo was taken, I found an ovipositing Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth.

A visit to Daneway Banks, Glos. on 23rd June yielded good numbers of these re-introduced butterflies. The main concentration was higher up the slope than I had found in previous years and several were skimming across the are of grassland near the dewpond. I followed one female for some time as she flitted between Thyme plants, carefully inspecting each flower head before laying.

As always, it was difficult to choose a single favourite photo but I chose this one because it shows the characteristic upperside markings well and captured her nectaring on Marjoram after her bout of egg-lying activity
Mike

A cold and partly cloudy June day at Collard Hill gave me my first ever view of a 'British' Large Blue. Special thanks to my old mate Martin who recently moved to the area and gave me lodging and sustenance for the weekend of my visit (now if only I could persuade him to flit again up to Argyll and Bute!)

A trip to Daneway Banks on 23rd June in beautiful conditions saw 8 Large Blues encountered, though all but one were in the uppermost area of the site, perhaps due to the lack of wind.

Unlike my visit in 2014, the marjoram had yet to flower, so hunting the wild thyme was the order of the day. The best upperside image obtained was this:
The one individual found lower down the hill wouldn't open up, but was nonetheless happy to sit on this leaf for a good 10 minutes:

Large Blue

Last year I saw my first ever Large Blue, well Large Blues as there were two of them. However they’d had a bad year and so I was happy with two even though they refused to open up their wings for me. This year they’d fared better and in the end I saw at least 6 different individuals as well as almost completing the standard identification guide selection of shots – male open, female open, male closed, female closed, ovipositing, an egg, a pair in cop and possibly even the larval ant host. This was my favourite however as it was my first ever open winged shot – stunning butterfly! Have a goodun

Wurzel