Just a few snaps from the last couple of weeks to test out the new PC.
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| Cocklawburn Links |
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| Lamberton |
A few weeks back we took a trip just over the border into Scotland, all of about 35 miles from home. Our target was the
Small Blue butterfly, a species with a scarce and fragmented distribution in the UK.
Firstly we checked out Cocklawburn Links where masses of its food plant, Kidney Vetch was growing. Unfortunately no butterflies though.
We then drove north to a spot on the coast near Lamberton, where after a bit of a trek we found our quarry.
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| Small Blue male. |
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| A Small Blue female? |
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| This one showing the distinctive underside. |
We had over 20 Small Blues flickering about the scree, including females egg laying and males behaving territorially. Typically for the species, it prefers areas with less of the food plant and lays eggs on isolated small plants rather than the bigger clumps.
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| A Small Heath keeping watch. |
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| The grass moth was quite common, Crambus lathionellus. |
A few other butterflies were around, 5+ Small Heath, 5+ Wall and a good few whites sp.
This area around Burnmouth / Lamberton is excellent for butterflies with Grayling and Northern Brown Argus later in the year too. Well worth a day out.
5 comments:
nice to see you back online-you have been a big miss-I"ll be in touch anon
admc
Stewart ,
I would say another male on your second Small Blue , more faded than the first .
Like Purple Hairstreaks they can look different from different directions , dependant on how the light catches them .
Well done on tracking them down , they are not easy to follow in flight .
Am hoping for NBArgus over at Arnside Knott in July .
Hi Andy, Cheers, must catch up some time!
Greenie, Thanks. Good Luck with the NBAs...
Good to see your up and running with the new PC Stewart. Shows your photo's off real well :-)
Lovely sightings of the Small Blue, what a treat
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