Adonis butterfly

Wiltshire, UK.

The tale continues......by about 1ish I was toying with the idea of trying a second site after such luck with the Small Pearls. A chap mentioned that I may be in with a chance of seeing Adonis Blue at Figsbury Ring, a Neolithic and Iron Age site managed by the National Trust, which is only 10 mins or so from Bentley Wood. It was incredible. There must have been 100 on the wing. The males were very mobile and when they did settle they stayed low, probably due to the strong breeze blowing. I…

This beautiful species of butterfly is one of the most characteristic of unimproved southern chalk downland, where it can be seen flying low over shortly grazed turf (typically steep, south-facing slopes).The males have brilliant sky-blue wings, while the females are chocolate brown and far less conspicuous. Both sexes have distinctive black lines that enter or cross the white fringes of the wings.

Found in warm, sheltered spots on the Commons, the adonis blue is a beautiful butterfly. It's one of the most characteristic of unimproved chalk downlands.

Denbies Hillside, Surrey - 14th August, 2011

Tremolat, Dordogne - 15th June, 2018