I got the Small Blues at Magog Down

It could have almost been a serenade to lepidopteral melancholy if I’d chosen to seek out butterflies at Trumpington Meadows* this morning, it’s not been a good season for butterflying there so far it seems, but instead it’s a celebration as I ended up counting dozens of Small Blue (Cupido minimus) at the equally serene but far more undulating Magog Down. Magog Down in almost full bloom The site is almost opposite Wandlebury where Mrs Sciencebase reckons we may have seen one of the rare blue butterflies many years ago (perhaps a Chalk Hill or a Small). A Small Blue butterfly, Cupido minimus. Not to be confused with any small, blue butterfly I must confess, on arriving I was expecting to have to seek out tiny patches of Kidney Vetch among the Oxeye Daisy, Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and other species across the acres. But, within a couple of yards of the gate, I spotted a couple of Small Blue on the ground and got a couple of record shots. A couple of Small Blue Walking on, it soon became obvious there were lots of Small Blue here, far more than I’d seen in 2022 on the Kidney Vetch patches at Trumpington Meadows. There was one cluster of the butterflies flitting about within a square foot patch and were not at all disturbed by my presence nor the endless clicking of the camera. Indeed, several landed on the camera, on the camera bag, on my legs, on my hands, and were happy to take part in a video shoot for my Instagram. A Small Blue butterfly puddl...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Lepidoptera Source Type: blogs