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Common blue


Common blue
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 389 W: 0 N: 1564] (5137)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-06-14
Categories: Insects
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-06-30 21:00
Viewed: 351
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 38
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
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.
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.
Evelynn, haraprasan, jaycee, iris, SelenE, gracious, boreocypriensis, zulfu, cloud, bahadir, viv, bobcat08 has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Evelynn: ThanksGert-Paassen 1 07-26 23:36
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Gert,
A lovely capture of this beautiful common blue. Very well composed with sharp details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 917 W: 4 N: 2282] (10648)
  • [2008-06-30 21:56]

Hello Gert, Good Morning from India. Nice shot and good angle. The composition is perfect with sharpness .Ganesh

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1778 W: 8 N: 4605] (14893)
  • [2008-06-30 22:07]

Hi Gert,

A lovely shot of this Common Blue - one of the prettiest butterflies I think. Beautiful colors, textures and details. The big eye is wonderful.

Jane

  • Great 
  • iris Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 389 W: 40 N: 730] (2302)
  • [2008-06-30 23:01]

HI Gert
A nice capture of the blue with its wings open and with a frontal PoV. It took me a while to figure out the way its wings were.Good anlge and detail.The lighting, colours and contrasts work fine and with good effect.The eye looks really sharp and i can see the blue in the opne wings on the other side.
The green habitat around adds to the beuaty and freshness of the composition.
Well done.
TFS & cheers

Hi Gert, great timing to capture this butterfly. Seeing underwing and top of wing is always a nice pose. good work and tfs

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2339 W: 59 N: 3778] (12122)
  • [2008-06-30 23:40]

Hi Gert,
I liked the POV, details, composition and colors. TFS
Greetings,
Selen

Hello Gert,
Delighted to see your butterfly posting!
Very nice captured of a good pose of it in perfect sharpness, vivid colour and superb details in the shot
well done
many thanks for the sharing
Tony

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 277 W: 3 N: 738] (2646)
  • [2008-07-01 1:25]

Hi Gerd!
Beautiful blue butterfly. Nice colours. Interesting note. I like it.
Rgs, Siggi

Hi Gert,
Wonderful macro capture of this beautifıl blue in all aspects. Great composition. Many thanks for sharing this beauty.
Cheers,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 527 W: 0 N: 95] (583)
  • [2008-07-01 2:39]

Hello Gert, perfect macro of this beauty. TFS.
G's, Mehmet

  • Great 
  • cloud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 109 W: 60 N: 206] (1831)
  • [2008-07-01 3:19]

Hello Gert,
Maybe pose isn't too good but colours and his eye add value for image.
Regards, Pawel

Hello Gert, superb close-up capture of a blue butterfly. TFS. REgards, Bahadır

Hallo Gert,
Fantastische opname in een schitterende compositie. De scherpte en details zijn uitstekend. Goede diepte ook in de foto. Een foto om trots op te zijn.
Groet,
Peter

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1032 W: 26 N: 2994] (10800)
  • [2008-07-01 8:55]

Hi Gert,
very nice pose you caught here with the wings open and a very good composition too. DOF is good also, well done.
Paul

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 302 W: 3 N: 621] (3098)
  • [2008-07-01 12:11]

Hoi Gert,
Wat een mooie compositie van gewoon blauw, POV en BG geweldig.
Groetjes
Vivian

interesting angle and pose with a perfect framing :)

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-07-01 21:01]

Hello Gert

A lovely capture of this common blue.
The pose is very good I like the diagonal look.
Excellent DOF and POV.
The colours are very well reproduced.
Nicely done.
TFS

Rob

Hallo Gert,

Een klassieke opname van het Icarusblauwtje en daar bedoel ik helemaal niets negatiefs mee. Geweldige POV. Compo is ook oké. Alle kleuren komen zeer goed uit de verf (-:

Wat een schitterend insect is dit toch ook hè. Ik moet altijd even goed kijken om hem niet te verwarren met het Heideblauwtje. Maar zo in deze positie is geen twijfel mogelijk. Goede begeleidende notitie

Groeten en TFS BOB

I was sad to read in the forum that you are thinking about leaving TN. You are exactly the type of person that TN needs... a generous, honest, kind, and peaceful citizen of the world. I missed a lot of your shots as I was away for about 3 months. I just was looking through your gallery and spotted this beauty. It is a stunning image. I love the beautiful color of the butterfly and flower in the foreground against that rich, varied out of focus background. Very nice work. I am hopeful that by the end of summer most of our friends will have returned to TN.

Take care,
Evelynn : )

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