Adonis Blues...electric, stunning...one of our best in UK.(extra images added).

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Paul
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Adonis Blue butterflies are one of our most stunning species in the UK, they are certainly one of my favourites for sure.
You just know when you 1st sight a male Adonis, its electric blue shimmers in the sun, it really catches your eye.
Whilst the males stand out from the crowd, the females are much harder to sight/track, their brown colouration blends into their habitat, making them harder to find!
This season (so far) ive put a few hours into capturing some nice images of them.
None of these images have been cropped, cheers Paul.

Male Adonis. In the shade/cloudy conditions.
Adonis Blue Butterfly (male). (No cropping). by Tort Man, on Flickr

Male Adonis. Beyond 7.00pm, low sunlight.
Adonis Blue Butterfly (male). No cropping. by Tort Man, on Flickr

Mating pair of Adonis.
Mating pair of Adonis Blue Butterflies. No cropping. by Tort Man, on Flickr

Female Adonis.
Female Adonis Blue Butterfly. No cropping. by Tort Man, on Flickr
 
Since I haven't got any decent open wing shots of a female this year, ive found some of mine from past seasons.
Generally, the female has mainly brown wings, with various amounts of blue specks showing.
Some examples, cheers Paul.

Female Adonis.
Adonis Blue Butterfly (female). 5th-June-2016. by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Female Adonis.
Adonis Blue Butterfly (f) uncropped. 26th-May-2018. by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Female Adonis, which showed a couple of patches of blue on her lower/hind wings. I managed to coax her onto my fingertips for this shot.
Female Adonis Blue Butterfly, perched on my hand/finger tip! (uncropped). 7th-September-2018. by Testudo Man, on Flickr



Finishing off with a stunning male. He posed pretty much perfect for me.
Adonis Blue Butterfly(m) uncropped. 31st-August-2018. by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Superb post Paul, some great photos of a really beautiful butterfly.
 
What an absolute stunning set, that blue is eye popping, well done.
 
Superb post Paul, some great photos of a really beautiful butterfly.
Thanks for that Alby.
Given the chance, I think everyone should see our (UK's) most striking butterfly(the Adonis blue) in the flesh, its just such a beauty, especially when the male, spreads his wings to bask.

What an absolute stunning set, that blue is eye popping, well done.
Cheers Dale, Adonis is one of our top species to observe...if you get a chance, go for it.
The Adonis has 2 broods per year/season...so if you miss them in May/June, you can try for them in July/August/September.
Last year i sighted/photographed a male in late September.
 
A cracking set of a beautiful butterfly!

Next year I'm definitely going to travel to see these!

Dave
 
A cracking set of a beautiful butterfly!

Next year I'm definitely going to travel to see these!

Dave

Cheers Dave, not sure where you are in the country? but since the Adonis occurs down here in the South of England, anyone North of Oxford, might struggle to see one!

Another male Adonis image, shot last Wednesday evening at 7.23pm!
I really struggled to stay out of this males sunlight. i was halfway up a steep hill, the low sun was directly behind me, i was crouched right down low, trying not to cast a shadow over this freshly emerged beauty, i couldnt quite get square/parallel on him, and knew he would soon close his wings, in order to roost/sleep for the night. Still managed a nice open wing/basking shot, before he flew off to roost.
This image is not cropped, cheers Paul.

Adonis Blue Butterfly (male). No cropping. by Tort Man, on Flickr
 
Very nice work Paul
 
Cheers Dave, not sure where you are in the country? but since the Adonis occurs down here in the South of England, anyone North of Oxford, might struggle to see one!

I'm from Teesside, so it would involve an overnight stay, that's why I'll leave it until next year!
 
I'm from Teesside, so it would involve an overnight stay, that's why I'll leave it until next year!
Oh, I see Dave, a fair bit of travelling involved then.
Im a lazy photographer, as in - if it aint local to me, then I don't generally make the effort. However, a few years ago, when we had an influx of Long Tailed Blues in the country, I did make the effort...I drove a 120 mile round trip (twice!!) in order to connect with that wonderful little Butterfly. Was it worth it?......……….yep, it was worth it to me. That might be the only time I got to see/photograph that species in my lifetime.


Superb set.

Thanks for that.



Well, I did say i hadnt got any open wing shots of a female Adonis Blue this year/season...that all changed on Monday just gone...had a great session, with a number of species, an the highlight was finding a very "showy" female Adonis. Image is not cropped, cheers Paul.

A freshly emerged Female Adonis Blue.
Female Adonis Blue Butterfly. No cropping. by Tort Man, on Flickr
 
Oh, I see Dave, a fair bit of travelling involved then.
Im a lazy photographer, as in - if it aint local to me, then I don't generally make the effort. However, a few years ago, when we had an influx of Long Tailed Blues in the country, I did make the effort...I drove a 120 mile round trip (twice!!) in order to connect with that wonderful little Butterfly. Was it worth it?......……….yep, it was worth it to me. That might be the only time I got to see/photograph that species in my lifetime.

I've travelled across to Cumbria to see butterflies that aren't local to me, such as Scotch Argus & Marsh Fritillary, as these are easy to do in a day, but next year I fancy seeing some of the southern species (especially Large Blue!), which would mean overnight stays.
 
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