Collard Hill

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID DSC_2585

Collard Hill

Exciting times up on Collard Hill near to the town of Street for the annual appearance of the rare large blue butterfly.  However, it was the common blue that put on the best display.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) – Lynchcombe, Somerset, UK. ID DSC_2649

Large Blue

Collard Hill is one of only a very few places you can get close to the rare large blue.  Their bizarre life-cycle starts when the eggs are laid on wild thyme.

Large Blue (Maculinea arion) – Collard Hill, Somerset, UK. ID DSC_2759

The caterpillars emerge to feed on the wild thyme where they pretend to be a ant grub.  The ants come out to its rescue and take back into their nest.  The caterpillar spends the winter feeding on the real ant grubs.  Then in June the adults emerge for just one week to do it all over again.

Large Blue (Maculinea arion) – Collard Hill, Somerset, UK. ID DSC_2722

Birds-foot-trefoil is all over the reserve.

Birds-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) – Collard Hill, Somerset, UK. ID DSC_2767