Small Blue

They say small is beautiful so today I headed up to the Stoke Camp reserve hoping to find the Small Blue (Cupido minibus) butterfly.

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_0983

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_0983

Stoke Camp

Stoke Camp is a nature reserve owned by Butterfly Conservation.  It is the site of an ancient hill fort. You can see why because the spectacular site has views across the country side and steep limestone slopes.  Today it protects a population of butterflies.  The smallest of which is the Small Blue.

Small Blue

A tiny little butterfly and one I have not been out to see for several years.

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1133

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1133

The small blue seems to like the area just inside the reserve immediately down to the right.  This slope has a mixture of short grass and brambles which they seem to like.

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1027

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1027

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1080

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1080

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1016

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1016

The Chase

One of the butterflies in this pair was very keen.  So not the other and they chased each other around the grassland.

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1034

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1034

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1041M

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1041M

And Finally…

All the other small blues liked to sit on the grass or brambles.  Not so this one who preferred to stroll around on the bare ground.  Perhaps its pretending that its the first butterfly to walk on Mars.

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) - Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1098

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) – Stoke Camp, Somerset, UK. ID 822_1098

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