silver-studded blue is a butterfly that occurs in (wet) heathland areas and is extremely photogenic.
The butterflies emerge from June. The density is generally high, about 50 to 90 individuals per hectare. The butterflies feed mainly on nectar from common heath, common heather and mouse ear. The males emerge about a week earlier than females. They search for females through patrol flights or exhibit territorial behavior, but do not form a firmly defined territory. Other males, butterflies and sometimes even bumblebees are chased and chased away. When the male finds a female, courtship occurs, regardless of whether the female is mating, already has several males around her or has already been fertilized. The male first flaps his wings rapidly and then comes close to the female. If there are already males present, skirmishes often occur in which the males take turns flying up and landing close to the female again, until one male mates. A fertilized female does not mate again. She fends off pushy males by turning away her abdomen, drumming on the male's head with her front legs or showing a white part of the abdomen. If the male does not leave, she hides in the vegetation. Heather blues often meet in the evening, for example in a clump of pipe straw, and form a sleeping group there.
Jan Linskens is a photographer with a great passion for nature. He likes to spend as much time in nature as possible and to capture it in the picture. Especially landscape and macro photography are favorites. Many of the photographs presented were made in the Netherlands near his residence in.. Read more…