Just sometimes.....

You get lucky!
Not to be pulled down by my chest infection  I took Rosie to Mill Hill today to look for Grizzled skippers Pyrgus malvae
We managed to find a Grizzled skipper quite easily and I have included a pleasing back lit shot as my extra.
Sadly it then got quite warm and the butterflies got very flighty, so Rosie and I set about looking at the various Wolf spider species by catching them in a little plastic pot and photographing them.
Then, almost miraculously, I accidently caught an Adonis blue  Polyommatus bellargus larvae complete with it's attendent ants! while trying to scoop up the spider!
I was amazed, what a find!! I knew they were there, and I knew others had seen them but I never expected to find one myself.
According to Butterfly conservation :-
The green larvae are well camouflaged and are nearly always attended by ants, which are attracted by secretions from special 'honey' glands and pores. Any ant species appears suitable, but the most common are the red ant Myrmica sabuleti and the small black ant lasius alienus. The ants protect the larvae from predators and parasitoids, and even bury the larvae (in groups of up to eight) in loose earth cells at night.'
I am sorry it is not a perfect shot, but something worth sharing I am sure you will agree.

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.