John Frame sends these two pictures. He writes, "I was enjoying a nice walk with mum and dad along Bay MacNeil today when I spotted this. From a quick Google search I think it's a silver-studded blue male, but I'm neither a photographer nor a butterfly enthusiast, so happy to be corrected. No idea if it's common or rare."
The
Butterfly Conservation website says of the silver-studded, "Males blue with dark border. Females brown with row of red spots. Undersides brown-grey with black spots, a row of orange spots, and small greenish flecks on outer margin. Males similar to common blue, which lacks greenish spots."
John's butterfly lacks a dark border, so it's more likely to be a common blue. Further, the silver-studded doesn't appear to be found north of North Wales. But both John and I would welcome some help!
Many thanks to John Frame for sending me his pictures.
Looks very like a common blue as you've said Jon - silver studded blues are tiny, most often seen on lowland heathland such as the small areas left in West Sussex like Iping Common.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree Common Blue. SSBs have silver 'studs' inside the black dots on the underwings; also a much more pronounced band of orange. They also don't have the little white patch this one is showing in the middle of the lower underwing - a feature of Common Blues. Doesn't make him any less delightful though!
ReplyDeleteCommon Blue. Too far north, as you say Jon, for Silver Studded. See this link for further identifiers: http://www.norfolk-butterflies.org.uk/species/butterflies/silver-studded-blue.html
ReplyDelete