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Spring Azure Celastrina ladon | April 21, 2012 |
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Update, 6 May 2012: When I first put up this page, I had the sexes of the spring azure mixed up. Sorry about that!
The spring azure (Celastrina ladon) is a fingernail-size butterfly that I generally see as a twinkling lavender or periwinkle as it flies close to the ground. The spring azure adds tiny highlights to any meadow. I suppose, in a sense, it can be thought of as a daytime firefly.
The upper-wing view is more typical, and although tiny, the spring azure has an intricate and delicate pattern.
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| The female spring azure has a dark outer band over her brlliant lavender, as seen in the next photo in which the upper wings are partially visible. | ||
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The male spring azure is somewhat lighter in color than the female, and I was lucky enough last year to have an upper-wing photo.
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Spring azures add the highlights that make a morning walk all the more enjoyable.
Photo note: I used the Pentax K20D, with the Voigtlander 125mm macro lens, in March 2011, for the first photo, and the Sigma 150-500mm lens, for the following two photos, taken in March and April 2012, respectively. | ||
