View allAll Photos Tagged Argus,
A 5am start to find some roosting Chalkhill Blues at breezy Barnack Hills and Holes nature reserve proved fruitless, but after an hour and a half of searching I at least found a small group of Brown Argus (Aricia agestis).
All were on ugly roosts except this one on a knapweed bud, which was a fortunate find as by this time the butterflies were semi-active and would not have tolerated being transferred. It was warm enough that this unit flew off without a sunshine bask.
This was taken with my Argus www.flickr.com/photos/lilylove/3196008839/in/set-72157612...
and my crazy TTV contraption back in April.
www.flickr.com/photos/lilylove/3207816150/in/set-72157612...
I just love that Argus ♥
Such a tiny butterfly the Brown Argus delighted to find this one today at my local reserve.
Many thanks to you ALL for the views, faves and comments you make on my shots it is very appreciated.
This Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) is interesting because it was at an altitude of more than 1000 feet asl in the Pennines near to where I live. This butterfly used to be restricted to warm, south-facing chalk downland sites in the south where its caterpillars fed on Rock-rose. There were also a few scattered additional sites, mainly on coastal dunes but also in the Brecks where the larval foodplants were Dove's-foot Cranesbill or Common Storksbill. But in the 1990s the butterfly began to spread, utilising these other two plants. This was thought to be due to a combination of setaside (the policy of leaving some arable land fallow) plus a warming climate, as the caterpillars need warmth to develop. I searched the area thoroughly where the butterflies were and there was no Rock-rose, Storksbill nor Dove's-foot Cranesbill. But there was another Cranesbill growing abundantly; Cut-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium dissectum) which must have been the larval foodplant. This was only the second time I have seen Brown Argus locally, the other was in 2019, but that was a mere 260 feet asl, not even close to the 1089 of this colony.
One final thing, some might look at the tiny amount of white by the discal forewing spot and say this is Northern Brown Argus (A. artaxerxes salmacis), but they are invariably single-brooded and do not emerge until mid June at the earliest. Brown Argus usually has two broods, one emerging in May, the other in July. Here's the salmacis form of Northern Brown Argus showing some forewing white for comparison (taken 23 June 2018): www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/43229942011/in/photolist
A brown argus taken back in May. I've been busy visiting potential locations for photography over the winter so haven't been taking many photos in the last couple of weeks. I've found some promising locations and have a few plans based on what I did last year. I've also been sorting out my photo catalogue and have found a few photos that I'd forgotten about, some are recent, others are from a few years ago, and I will be uploading them over the next couple of weeks
Macro Mondays: "Treasured"
My father's Argus 35mm Range Finder camera.
The image is about 6.4 cm (2.5 inches) on the long edge.
Toujours aussi beau et photogénique ce petit Argus bleu, mais le plus extraordinaire c'est son cycle de vie.!
Après avoir pendu ses oeufs et l'éclosion de ces derniers, les larves se nourrissent de la plante hôte puis se laissent tomber par terre sur le chemin des fourmis, qui les prennent pour des leurs, les amènent dans la fourmilière et les nourrissent copieusement.!
Mais le jour J quand le papillon sort de sa chrysalide et doit sortir de la fourmilière à l'air libre, il a intérêt à faire vite avant que les fourmis ne s'aperçoivent de la supercherie.!
Sinon il finira au menu du jour.
Always so beautiful and photogenic this little blue Argus, but the most extraordinary is its life cycle!
After hanging eggs and hatching, the larvae feed on the host plant and then fall to the ground on the path of ants, which take them for their own, bring them into the anthill and feed them copiously. !
But on D-day when the butterfly comes out of its chrysalis and has to get out of the anthill in the open air, it is better to do it quickly before the ants can see the trickery!
Otherwise it will end at the menu of the day.
Wings open
Thank you to everybody that views, comments and for favouring my images. Always greatly appreciated