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Icarus in love


Icarus in love
Photo Information
Copyright: Luciano Gollini (lousat) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6595 W: 89 N: 15659] (65489)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2012-07-04
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC HX1
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/640 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2012-07-10 5:28
Viewed: 2084
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Thanks to Merlin and IronM

Order: Lepidoptera

Superfamily: Papilionoidea

Family: Lycaenidae

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

Tribe: Polyommatini

Genus: Polyommatus

Species: P. icarus

The Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Male uppersides are an iridescent lilac blue with a thin black border. Females are brown with a row of red spots along the edges. They usually have some blue at the base of the wings and, especially in Ireland and Scotland, are mostly blue but always have the red spots. Undersides have a greyish ground colour in the males and more brownish in the females. Both sexes have a row of red spots along the edge of the hindwings (extending onto the forewings though generally fainter, particularly in the males where they are sometimes missing altogether). There are about a dozen black centered white spots on the hind wings, nine on the forwings. The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines as it is in the Chalkhill and Adonis Blues, an important difference when separating these species, particularly the females.
It is Britain's (and probably Europe's) most common and most widespread blue, found as far north as Orkney and on most of the Outer Hebrides. Males are often very obvious as they defend territories against rivals and search out the more reclusive females. A range of grassland habitats are used: meadows, coastal dunes, woodland clearings and also many man made habitats, anywhere where their food plants are found.
It is widespread in Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia.The main food plant on most sites is Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Others used include Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Common Restharrow Ononis repens, White Clover Trifolium repens and Lesser Trefoil Trifolium dubium. Eggs are laid singly on young shoots of their food plants.
The caterpillar is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather slug-like. Hibernation occurs as a half grown larvae. They are attractive to ants but not as much as some other species of blues. The chrysalis is olive green/brown and formed on the ground where it is attended by ants which will often take it into their nests. The larvae creates a substance called honey dew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. In the south of Britain there are two broods a year flying in May and June and again in August and September. Northern England has one brood flying between June and September. In a long warm year there is sometimes a partial third brood in the south flying into October.

Piccolo lepidottero dallo spiccato dimorfismo sessuale. I maschi con ali superiormente blu e con riflessi violacei, margini soffusi di nero e contornati di frange bianche. Le femmine hanno livrea marrone con riflessi bluastri. Le parti inferiori, in ambedue i sessi, sono grigiastre o marrone chiaro, con macchie nere contornate di bianco e serie complete di lunule arancioni puntate di nero.La specie, svernante allo stadio di bruco, compare da aprile in poi con due o tre generazioni annuali. Le larve vanno alla ricerca di varie Papilionacee (gen. Medicago, Genista, Trifolium, Lathyrus, Ononis, Lotus, ecc..); si presentano verdi con linea medio dorsale più scura e fianchi percorsi a livello degli stigmi da una fascia biancastra. La ninfosi dura circa due settimane.L'areale abbraccia Europa ed Asia temperata, presente anche in Nordafrica e Anatolia. In Italia è specie alquanto diffusa dal livello del mare ai 2000 m. Nel territorio è tra i più comuni lepidotteri, lo si riscontra in cespuglieti, siepi e margini boschivi.
cobra112, ramthakur, Merlin, buscape, Marco2010, maaciejka, CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Luciano,
A terrific capture of this pair with striking colors, details & pose. Well composed & presented with a great POV. Great work & TFS. Regards & best wishes!

Umar

Hi, Luciano
This is an excellent image, with near-perfect lighting and depth of field and a nice contrast between the butterflies and their darker background. However, this is surely a pair of Polymommatus icarus? The distribution of the arc of black spots on the hindwing (the row inside the orange markings) is the key distinguishing feature that separates these species when seen from the underside, and neither shows the agestis distribution of the first two spots (counting from the top). See the other pair posted today - which are A. agestis.
Regards, Nigel.

  • Great 
  • IronM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 144 W: 3 N: 345] (2608)
  • [2012-07-10 6:45]

Hello Luciano,
beautiful capture of these lovers, excellent details and lovely colors ! I think like Nigel that this is a pair of Polyommatus icarus ! Best regards !

Hello Luciano,
Great capture of these mating butterflies with good sharpness and lovely details.
Regards!

Hello Louciano
A perfect photo of this pair of butterlies with excellent detail and brilliant light.
Nicely focused with contrasting background.
regards yiannis

Ciao Luciano. POV perfetto per i due piccole amanti. Ottimi i dettaglio. Il colori. hanno reso un sacco. E che gran stacco contro lo sfondo!

Roberto

Wow, what a composition, Luciano!
Stunning sharpness and clarity on these mating Blues.
Great image from an ideal POV.
Thanks and regards.
Ram

hello Luciano,
astonishingly sharp image with good and strong composition. great colour.
best wishes,
samiran

hello Luciano
Great sharpness composition with good details and beautiful colours
the light are very good
thanks greeting lou

Ciao Luciano, bella coppia di piccole sporcaccione, messa a fuoco perfetta su amo gli esemplari, ottima nitidezza e magnifici colori, bravissimo, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • joska Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 806 W: 0 N: 4092] (22535)
  • [2012-07-10 10:43]

Ciao Luciano,
Great photo of this mating Butterflys, splendid lights and beautiful details, TFS!

Hello Luciano,
great capture of these mating butterflies with good sharpness and interesting details. I also like the beautiful colours and your well chosen POV.
Best wishes,
Helmut

Ciao Luciano.
Splendida composizione di questi due innamorati forse più,ottimi i colori e un’eccellente nitidezza con relativi particolari veramente molto bella complimenti.
Ciao Marco.

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2012-07-10 11:18]

Hello Luciano,
Fantastic photo in superb sharpness, details and very beautiful colours. Splendid contrasting background.
Regards,
Peter

Hi Luciano,
amazing photo of these twins.
Many details.
Nice point of view and everything.
Thanks for sharing,
Maciek

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3097 W: 109 N: 12399] (52850)
  • [2012-07-10 12:12]

Hello Luciano.
Perfect angle for placing this two butterflies in love with in sharp area of DoF. Excellent macro shot. Sharp and neat image.Best regards Siggi

Ciao Luciano,

Wow what a fabulous and striking image here my good friend, Superb lighting with lovely colour saturation, nice and sharp, great stuff and well done,
Best Regards,

Pauly.

Another impressive macro Luciano! For one more time the composition, the colours and the sharpness are excellent!
Regards,
Christodoulos

hi,Luciano

very nice photo, congratulations :)

Salut Luciano

Excellente photo des amoureux, très belle lumière
et tons de couleurs, comme toujours superbe focus,
netteté, détails et contraste, TFS

Asbed

Luciano, this is such a great shot of these. It has great perspective and sharpness. Good job my friend. Bill

Hello Luciano,
Great capture of these mating butterflies with good composition sharpness and lovely details.
Regards!

Unique timing of this shot, colors and details are great.

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