Silver Studded Blues
Every year, for the same seven weeks, on the same 6km walk, I do a study of the fragile Silver Studded Blue butterfly on Ashdown Forest. As an adult, they will live for just five days so seeing them is a rare and precious thing. If you see one, the chances are that no one else in the world will ever see the same butterfly... there's a thought. They are entirely dependent on a black ant, Lasius niger, which will tend and protect the caterpillars, chrysalis and adult butterfly, in return for a sugary secretion treat. If you are very lucky you may be able to catch sight of the ants tending an emerging adult as it inflates its wings and dries out. This short video shows such an event. Thank you for watching.
Silver Studded Blues
Every year, for the same seven weeks, on the same 6km walk, I do a study of the fragile Silver Studded Blue butterfly on Ashdown Forest. As an adult, they will live for just five days so seeing them is a rare and precious thing. If you see one, the chances are that no one else in the world will ever see the same butterfly... there's a thought. They are entirely dependent on a black ant, Lasius niger, which will tend and protect the caterpillars, chrysalis and adult butterfly, in return for a sugary secretion treat. If you are very lucky you may be able to catch sight of the ants tending an emerging adult as it inflates its wings and dries out. This short video shows such an event. Thank you for watching.