Silver Studded Blue
I'm currently doing a six week survey for Butterfly Conservation in the Ashdown Forest. This involves monitoring the same patch on a 6km loop once a week to see how many, if any silver studded blue butterflies there are. Last year was good but I'm into week three now and have seen just two males. They were very fresh (they live as adults only 4 to 5 days) and are very beautiful. I'm hoping that as the weather warms up there will be more.
They were once common but in the last century over four fifths of their numbers disappeared and they are now confined to a few pockets in the South of England. They have a fascinating life cycle in which the caterpillars are taken into ants nests for protection and the chrysalises are guarded and tended, with the ants in attendance until the adult emerges and is able to fly off. The ant gets sugary secretions from the caterpillars as a reward. Without the ants, there is no silver studded blue. Other blues also have this life cycle.
Here are pictures of the two I saw on Sunday.
As usual, there's a bit more detail viewed large.
Silver Studded Blue
I'm currently doing a six week survey for Butterfly Conservation in the Ashdown Forest. This involves monitoring the same patch on a 6km loop once a week to see how many, if any silver studded blue butterflies there are. Last year was good but I'm into week three now and have seen just two males. They were very fresh (they live as adults only 4 to 5 days) and are very beautiful. I'm hoping that as the weather warms up there will be more.
They were once common but in the last century over four fifths of their numbers disappeared and they are now confined to a few pockets in the South of England. They have a fascinating life cycle in which the caterpillars are taken into ants nests for protection and the chrysalises are guarded and tended, with the ants in attendance until the adult emerges and is able to fly off. The ant gets sugary secretions from the caterpillars as a reward. Without the ants, there is no silver studded blue. Other blues also have this life cycle.
Here are pictures of the two I saw on Sunday.
As usual, there's a bit more detail viewed large.