Plebeius argus ssp caernensis   Western Silver Studded Blue

Plebejus argus ssp caernensis m and f Plebejus argus ssp caernensis under
Plebejus argus ssp caernensis

Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue dark female colours

Slopes above Happy Valley, Great Orme, North Wales 16th June 2010

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Plebejus argus ssp caernensis

Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue normal female colours

Slopes above Happy Valley, Great Orme, North Wales 16th June 2010

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Plebejus argus ssp caernensis

Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue male

Slopes above Happy Valley, Great Orme, North Wales 16th June 2010

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Plebejus argus ssp caernensis

Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue male

Slopes above Happy Valley, Great Orme, North Wales 16th June 2010

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Plebejus argus ssp caernensis

Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue underwing

Slopes above Happy Valley, Great Orme, North Wales 16th June 2010

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Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue female dark colours Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue female dark colours Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue male Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue male Plebeius argus ssp caernensis Western Silver Studded Blue under

The book I used to find these butterflies (British and Irish Butterflies by Adrian Riley) could not have been more accurate. Parking as close to Happy Valley on the Great Orme as I could, I made my way to the upper slopes where the Common Rock-rose was in flower. The scarce Hoary Rock-rose (Helianthemum oelandicum ssp incanum) for which this area is famous flowers earlier and only a few remained with flowers at very top of the limestone cliffs. The Common Rock-rose dominates at this time of year.

Suddenly these beautiful blue butterflies were everywhere. Perhaps they had suddenly hatched in the sudden spell of warm weather but there was a virtual plague of these insects fluttering all round me as I climbed up through the flowers to the cliff tops.

The females vary in colour from quite brownish to those with a bluish hue but the males are fairly consistently metallic blue. The most surprising things is their size - they are quite small butterflies not much larger than Cupido minimus (Small Blue) and smaller than a Common Blue. The male of main sub species (ssp argus) has a black edge to the upper hind wing which is usually continuous but ssp caernensis has intermittent black banding giving a black flecked appearance.

The larval food plants are Helianthemum nummularium (Common Rock-rose) and Lotus corniculatus (Bird's-foot Trefoil) but as I observed these creatures for an hour or so, the adults definitely tended to favour the Rock-rose to settle on.

 

Slopes above Happy Valley, Great Orme, North Wales 16th June 2010

Added on June 16th 2010, 29th May 2011

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