NBA blue

 

10-06-26 NBA Blue sounds like some kind of sports award or US cop drama.

It was actually the first occasion on which I saw common blues this year. And the second time I saw Northern Brown Argus; although the first decent photos. It underlines what has been a fairly crappy early Summer. It hasn't been a wash out like 2 years ago but it hasn't been optimal either. Common blues, not quite as common as their name would suggest, can be seen from the last week in May, or sooner if you live further South.

I am fairly sick of seeing people in the South of the UK posting butterflies (on social media) a month or 2 ahead of the Scottish ones appearing. It removes too much of the pleasure of anticipation and makes me feel we live in a cold Northern backwater with fewer species and a crappy climate. Which we do, but I do not need to be reminded of this! 

small heath

This was a good day butterfly hunting (despite my complaints), although it started very poorly and I saw nothing of the anticipated joys, who should have been lurking in the long grasses of the Stone Trap, a ditch that runs round the bottom of the crags. 

mother shipton moth

blackbird

Okay, something of a confession here - this was more than a fortnight ago and although I sorted the photos two weeks ago and uploaded them here, I did not get around to adding the words till now. Which means I've forgotten most of the salient stuff and the fine tuning. I'd intended to do the words on the airplane to Greece or in the down time while on holiday but there was no wifi on the plane unless you paid hard cash for it and an almost impossible sign up process which Mary endeavoured with for a while but ultimately didn't manage.

There was zero down time on holiday and I worked at butterflying and processing the pics taken, about 12hrs a day leaving only time to eat and sleep. All that stuff  - and there is MASSES - will appear here in due course.

However back to early June and Holyrood.

I came across several common blues on these yellow flowers - birds-foot trefoil - near a spot that is affectionately referred to as Unda's Bush - just down from NBA corner 1. There were a couple of NBAs as well. And a large skipper and a small copper. It was bustling!

large skipper
great to see these now resident in Holyrood

small copper

bird's-foot trefoil

Timothy Tortrix caterpillar!
(far more captivating caterpillar than moth)

small heath solar panel

northern brown argus

common blue

two blues flying - third just out of shot

small copper

At one point the clouds covered the sun and the butterflies calmed down. I was near to this common blue which shut down enough for me to get really close with the macro lens. It did not even flinch when I went right up to it and shot some pics on which you can see the scales. I shot some slo-mo video too as the sun returned and it fed on a bramble flower continuing the perform perfectly!

scale detail

star performance from this holyrood blue

NBA aberration quadripuncta
(four white spots rather than the more usual 2 on the forewings)

coppery detail

this (almost) never happens
more often they regard one another as mortal enemies

Unda's Bush!

Round the corner and up the hill a little is NBA Corner. There was another NBA there as well as this specimen (above) which (judging by the brown uppers I saw briefly) I thought was an NBA too. However Iain ID-ed it as more likely a female common blue. Right enough it was slightly larger than the NBAs. Also it had slightly malformed right wings although it may still have been inflating them, having recently emerged. Keen not to put it off its game I took a couple of pics then left it to it.

Isomira murina

A final delight was this small tortoiseshell which I found at the East end of the radical road. It was a very fresh specimen and quite frisky and it took a while to get a decent photo. Worth it as they are becoming less widespread than they used to be. Very nice end to a satisfying day in Holyrood.