GRAHAM CLARKE’S WILDLIFE WATCH
Four ‘blue’ butterflies to look out for
IN March, a butterfly collector was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work after illegally capturing and killing specimens of the endangered Large Blue butterfly. The largest and rarest of our blue butterflies, it has a wing span range (male to female) of 1.5-1.7in (38-44mm) and is distinguished by a row of black spots on its upper forewing.
Its life cycle involves hatching from eggs on marjoram, and then spending most of the year in red ant nests, where its larvae feed on ant grubs. Adults are flying and laying eggs now, but only for about a month. It may be seen in areas near warm and well-drained grasslands, both inland or near the coast, but it is very rare in the south west of the country.
Sadly the Large Blue is in decline across the world, so is on the global list for endangered species, which is why the man sentenced for collecting it made national headlines. However, there are a few other beautiful blue butterflies to be seen in gardens:
■ The most likely ‘blue’ you’ll come across, it’s a touch smaller than the Large Blue. The male has blue wings with a black-brown border and a thin white fringe. The colour of the upperwings of females varies from almost completely brown in southern England to predominantly blue in Scotland and Ireland.
■ The Holly Blue: About the same size as the Common Blue, this is also a fairly widespread butterfly, and often found in gardens. Its wings are bright blue, and the females have black wing edges. Emerging in early spring, well before other blue butterflies, it tends to fly high around bushes and trees, particularly holly in spring, and ivy in late summer. ■ The Silver-Studded Blue: Smaller still is this quite rare butterfly, confined to small colonies in England and Wales. The males are silvery-blue with a dark border, while females are brown with a row of red spots. It’s a delight to watch it flutter low over heathland.
There are other blue butterflies, too, including the Adonis Blue (arguably the brightest blue of all, but found only on chalk downland).