Baton Blue (pseudophilotes baton)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 9693_male_Var_11Apr08 | 4937_male_Var_24Apr07 | 4962_female_Var_24Apr07 |
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| 9830_female_Var_19Apr08 |
About the size of an average Small Blue (cupido minimus) and could easily be overlooked. It seems to have a very early flight period, more so in the far south of France, with only a limited second brood in the localities I have visited. It can often be very common. The male is a steely grey-blue with chequered margins and often a series of dark marginal spots on the upf. The female is noticeably larger with a spattering of blue scales. The underside is a cleanly-spotted pattern which cannot really be confused with any other species, at least in France.
9693: a male, in typical territorial pose. Pity about the shadow.
4937: a typical male underside, puddling. Altitude 140m.
4962: a female, quite dark with limited blue scales. Altitude 140m.
0930: an unusual female, with strong blue scaling on the uph and the underside post-discal black spots appearing strongly on the upperside. I have never seen this elsewhere. This was actually the case - it wasn't a photographic transparency effect which can sometimes happen when the light is strong behind the subject.
