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Icarus in love


Icarus in love
Photo Information
Copyright: Luciano Gollini (lousat) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6595 W: 89 N: 15659] (65489)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2015-10-02
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC HX200V
Exposure: f/5.0, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2015-10-05 23:35
Viewed: 1366
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Order: Lepidoptera

Superfamily: Papilionoidea

Family: Lycaenidae

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

Tribe: Polyommatini

Genus: Polyommatus

Species: P. icarus

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, 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.

Piccolo lepidottero dallo spiccato dimorfismo sessuale. I maschi con ali superiormente blu e con riflessi violacei, margini soffusi di nero e contornati di frange bianche. Le femmine hanno livrea marrone con riflessi bluastri. Le parti inferiori, in ambedue i sessi, sono grigiastre o marrone chiaro, con macchie nere contornate di bianco e serie complete di lunule arancioni puntate di nero.La specie, svernante allo stadio di bruco, compare da aprile in poi con due o tre generazioni annuali. Le larve vanno alla ricerca di varie Papilionacee (gen. Medicago, Genista, Trifolium, Lathyrus, Ononis, Lotus, ecc..); si presentano verdi con linea medio dorsale più scura e fianchi percorsi a livello degli stigmi da una fascia biancastra. La ninfosi dura circa due settimane.L'areale abbraccia Europa ed Asia temperata, presente anche in Nordafrica e Anatolia. In Italia è specie alquanto diffusa dal livello del mare ai 2000 m. Nel territorio è tra i più comuni lepidotteri, lo si riscontra in cespuglieti, siepi e margini boschivi.
Hotelcalifornia, Chiza, Noisette, CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3097 W: 109 N: 12399] (52850)
  • [2015-10-06 0:25]

Hello Luciano,
It's a beautiful photo. Pose you captured, focus,sharpness, details, lighting, POV and composition are great. Well done and TFS.
Regards Sigi

Beautiful picture , great macro Luciano.
Well done!!!

Thanks for sharing.
gr.Yves

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2015-10-06 5:49]

Hello Luciano,
A photo of these butterflies in splendid colours and excellent sharpness. Fantastic composition with a good DOF.
Regards,
Peter

hallo Luciano
great moment to take a picture
good details and beautiful colours
thanks gr lou

Hello Luciano,
Beautiful illumination and exposure control. Sheer pleasure to view these lovely butterflies in their mating activity. Well captured.
Neels

  • Great 
  • KOMSIS Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 820 W: 0 N: 2419] (10674)
  • [2015-10-06 9:46]

Ciao Luciano,
Beautiful photo of this couple ..
Very good sharpness and nice composition. The colours are very good.
Best wishes,
Seyfi

Ciao Luciano, la foto come sempre ottima e rica nei dettagli, complimenti!
adesso ho visto quante compattine nei hai provate finora, con quale ti trovi meglio ?

Ciao Luciano, gran bella coppietta in amore, ottima nitidezza e bei colori naturali, solita qualità stratosferica, bravissimo, ciao Silvio

Hello Luciano,

Very very well captured these Common Blue species. Very good details and color. Good light and sharpness.
Thanks for sharing,
Regards,
Srikumar

  • Great 
  • Chiza Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 133 W: 0 N: 474] (5351)
  • [2015-10-07 8:31]

´Hola Luciano, una toma fabulosa en un momento especial; excelente composición, detales, color y entorno...saludos.

  • Great 
  • periko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 70 W: 2 N: 145] (1487)
  • [2015-10-07 22:37]

Hi Luciano
When I saw the thumbnail I thought it was a reflection.
The composition is quite good, with excellent light and details.
Beautiful butterflies.

TFS
Pedro

Bom dia Luciano,
Pretty image in tribute to Love.
Great clarity, sharpness and colors.
Great composition.
Rgds.
R.

bosoir Luciano
superbe image de ce couple en action, excellente netteté sur les deux papillons et même sur la plante, le fond sombre les met en valeurs, les couleurs sont très naturelles
Passe une bonne journée
Jacqueline

Hello Luciano

Wonderful shot of these lovers in action,
with fine POV, lovely light and color tones,
excellent focus, sharpness, and details, TFS

Asbed

Hi Luciano,
l'on pourrais croire que le papillon se reflette dans l'eau, mais ce sont deux papillons!!!
merci et bonne semaine
Pierre

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