Cambridge Blues

After finding a small colony of Small Blue butterflies in South Cambridgeshire in 2016, which turned out to be the first seen in the County for a decade, I've always been fond of this species. It isn't exactly the most dramatic of butterflies but it is our smallest while it is sparsely distributed across southern England and isolated colonies in Scotland.

Since 2016 they have been discovered at a second site in the county, Trumpington Meadows where they have been monitored each year. The foodplant of Small Blue is Kidney-vetch which is abundant on the Magogs so I always thought the butterfly could/ should occur. I do visit the site occasionally with the family and I had never come across it though...until now. Just a few minutes after Beth said we should be looking out for Small Blue I found a single individual that allowed a few quick photos:

Small Blue Cupido minimus

It does seem as if this is the first Small Blue to be seen here for many, many years. A few other observers have visited the site since and found at least two individuals so it bodes well for a colony to establish itself and for the status of the butterfly in the County. As an aside, these must refer to second generation individuals so it is highly likely that they have been lurking here without being detected at least earlier this year.