Sunday, 29 June 2014
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Large Blue
 |
| Large Blue at Daneway Banks Nature Reserve, Gloucestershire
Managed by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, with the kind help from some
Welsh mountain ponies from Butt’s Farm (a rare breed farm in Cirencester) the
reserve provides the large blue with a unique habitat and special conditions in
which to breed.
The
butterfly relies on another species to help it’s lifespan along the way, a red
ant called Myrmica sabuleti which lays its eggs on wild thyme. Once hatched,
the caterpillars feed on the thyme before dropping to the ground where the
red ants mistake them for ant larvae and take them into their colonies.
There the butterfly larvae feed on ant larvae until they emerge as
butterflies.
There’s
a very short window in which to see the large blues, but if the weather
conditions stay good they might be around for about two weeks
if a visit is planned to see what must be one of our rarest
species.
|
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Spanish Swallowtail
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| Spanish Swallowtail now designated a full species after a recent split from Scarce Swallowtail. Aragon, Spain 2014 |
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Monday, 12 May 2014
Hairstreak and Skipper
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| Green Hairstreak, Tottenhoe on 3 May 2014 |
 |
| Dingy Skipper, Tottenhoe on 3 May 2014 |
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Clouded Yellow
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| Clouded Yellow on Bridle Way between A15 (Hampton) and Crown Lakes Railway Bridge, Peterborough |
Thursday, 1 August 2013
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