Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) ©

Nick Dobbs
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Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) ©
Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) ©

Male Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) on Plantain. This beautiful species of butterfly is one of the most characteristic of unimproved southern chalk downland, where it can be seen flying low over shortly grazed turf (typically steep, south-facing slopes). The males have brilliant sky-blue wings, while the females are chocolate brown and far less conspicuous. Both sexes have distinctive black lines that enter or cross the white fringes of the wings. The white, textured disc-shaped eggs are laid singly under young, unshaded Horseshoe Vetch leaves in May-June and August-September. They can be found most easily in September where unshaded Horseshoe Vetch is growing on short turf. The Adonis Blue overwinters as a caterpillar; it is is green with short, yellow stripes, which camouflage it while it feeds on Horseshoe Vetch during the day. It is most commonly seen during April and late July as it searches for ants to 'milk' its sugary secretions.In April-May and July-August the caterpillar forms into a chrysalis in small crevices or hollows and is then buried by ants in earth chambers connected to the ant nest. The ants constantly attend to it for around three weeks, protecting it from predators. This species has undergone a major decline through its entire range but, despite its restricted distribution, on good sites it can be seen in many hundreds, as it has recently re-expanded in some regions. Colonies vary in size considerably from year to year, depending on the weather. Many thousands can be seen emerging towards the end of a hot summer, contrasting with under a hundred from a spring emergence. Photo by Nick Dobbs, Compton Down, Dorset, 21-05-2024

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Taken on: May 21, 2024
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Camera: Sony DSC-RX10M4, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, 47.9mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Sony DSC-RX10M4
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length: 47.9mm
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: On, Return detected
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Center-weighted average
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
Software: GIMP 2.10.36
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