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Common blue butterfly


Common blue butterfly
Photo Information
Copyright: Csaba Szucs (Csaba1981) (31)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-06-10
Categories: Insects
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/640 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-06-13 19:39
Viewed: 825
Points: 4
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Common Blue Polyommatus icarus is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

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 quite often 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 probably Europe's most common and most widespread blue. 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 foodplants are found.

It is Widespread in Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia.

The Main foodplant on most sites is Birds-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 foodplants.

The caterpillar is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather sluglike. 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.
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Critiques [Translate]

Beautifully elegant composition! I love orientation of the entire photo.
Lovely colors and sharpness where it counts - I love the detail in the face and antennae.

Hi Csaba,
Wonderful macro with fabulous colors, detail, sharpness and texture.
TFS
Regards,
Lurdes

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