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Female "Common Blue"


Female
Photo Information
Copyright: Paras Bhalla (parasbhalla) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 317 W: 0 N: 814] (3182)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-08-02
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC P150
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/80 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-10-02 1:04
Viewed: 166
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
General Information on "Common Blue" from WiKiPedia:

The Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Tribe: Polyommatini
Genus: Polyommatus
Species: P. icarus

Binomial name Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775)


Appearance, behaviour and distribution:

Male uppersides are an iridescent lilac blue with a thin black border. Females are brown with a row of red spots along the edges. They usually have some blue at the base of the wings and, especially in Ireland and Scotland, are mostly blue but always have the red spots. Undersides have a greyish ground colour in the males and more brownish in the females. Both sexes have a row of red spots along the edge of the hindwings (extending onto the forewings though generally fainter, particularly in the males where they are sometimes missing altogether). There are about a dozen black centered white spots on the hind wings, nine on the forwings. The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines as it is in the Chalkhill and Adonis Blues, an important difference when separating these species, particularly the females.

It is Britain's (and probably Europe's) most common and most widespread blue, found as far north as Orkney and on most of the Outer Hebrides. Males are often very obvious as they defend territories against rivals and search out the more reclusive females. A range of grassland habitats are used: meadows, coastal dunes, woodland clearings and also many man made habitats, anywhere where their food plants are found.
It is widespread in Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia.

Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada by Ara Sarafian. An amateur entomologist, he had been observing the butterfly from 2005 to 2008. He contacted the Canadian National Collection of Insects in Ottawa where the butterfly was identified as P. icarus, a new alien butterfly to Canada and North America. The butterfly seems to be well established and is extending its range from year to year (Source: http://www.entsocont.com/Newsletter_Dec_2007.pdf).

Lifecycle and food plants:

The main food plant on most sites is Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Others used include Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Common Restharrow Ononis repens, White Clover Trifolium repens and Lesser Trefoil Trifolium dubium. Eggs are laid singly on young shoots of their food plants.

The caterpillar is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather slug-like. Hibernation occurs as a half grown larvae. They are attractive to ants but not as much as some other species of blues. The chrysalis is olive green/brown and formed on the ground where it is attended by ants which will often take it into their nests. The larvae creates a substance called honey dew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. In the south of Britain there are two broods a year flying in May and June and again in August and September. Northern England has one brood flying between June and September. In a long warm year there is sometimes a partial third brood in the south flying into October.

(Source of above mentioned information: WiKiPedia)
Mikolaj, Hamurkaroglu, goldyrs, roges, maurydv, siggi, cirano, Argus has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Paras! Amazing macro. Perfect colours, ideal saturation. Nice light and bright. Good sharpness. Well done!

Hello Paras,
Good photo,good composition,information and nice butterfly.
TFS.
Best wishes,
Mehmet

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2009-10-02 1:36]

Hi Paras,fantastic backlight,this is my prefered style to capture the butterflies,especlially when done so perfectly as your pic.Great sharpness and colors too in a very nice composition,thanks for share,have a nice day,LUCIANO

Yaar mujhe ye nahin samajh aata isko blue kyun bolte hain, ye to brown hai!Okay, it does have some greenish blue somewhere!
A superb shot, Bhai!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • roges Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 598 W: 0 N: 523] (3096)
  • [2009-10-02 3:15]

Hallo Para,
A splendid macro. Colors are exceptional.
Have a good weekend,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • joska Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 407 W: 0 N: 1011] (5460)
  • [2009-10-02 4:22]

Excellent photo, congratulations!

Hello Paras,
a splendid picture of a female Common Blue taken from an excllent POV with very good sharpness, very beautiful colours and light, well composed.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

Ciao Paras. Stunning details and excintig light here. Great DOF too. Nice coloured compo.

Roberto

hello Paras
very nice composition with great details and beautiful colours
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1373 W: 56 N: 4723] (16252)
  • [2009-10-02 5:53]

Hello Paras,
lovely macro shot, the butterflu perched on the flower looks beautiful, well composed shot.
Best regards Siggi

Ciao Paras, wonderful light on a lovely little butterfly on a beautiful flower, fantastic colors and splendid sharpness, very well done my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2388 W: 94 N: 5521] (17576)
  • [2009-10-02 10:36]

Hello Paras,
Although the BG is a bit busy, this is a very beautiful photo in great sharp details and a nice composition. Pretty contrasting colours.
Have a great weekend,
Peter

  • Great 
  • cirano Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 656 W: 0 N: 228] (4942)
  • [2009-10-02 12:00]

Slav Paras,
Very nice capture this female P.icarus in high light.The POV and sharpness are very good.TFS.
Regards,
Dūrzan

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 190 N: 11348] (34987)
  • [2009-10-02 22:04]

Hello Paras,
A fine sharp macro of a worn female P. icarus taken from a great POV against the light with excellent effect. Nicely composed on the lavender flowers against a colourful BG.
Thanks and have a good weekend,
Ivan

Buen contraluz y colores estilo "paras" :-)
Abrazo.

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