Post by nomad on Aug 26, 2013 11:02:23 GMT -8
Talking to a lepidoptera friend the other day, he mentioned the Mazarine Blue [ Cyaniris semiargus] which is fairly frequent in the meadows of Europe. A number of images come to mind when I think of this lovely blue, bygone hay meadows full of Red Clover, Cardiff in Wales where there was once a strong colony, the great collector J. C. Dale, who recorded a colony for many years in his manor of Glanville's Wootton in rural Dorset, one of the last known captures in a spiders web and probably the most common thought, Extinction in Britain. Although there has been a much publized reintroduction for the blue Maculinea arion there probably will be none for this butterfly. For most of the U. K. haymeadows [ 95%] are gone along with their butterflies
It is now believed that the cause of the extinction of Cyaniris semiargus in Southern England and Wales was caused by the changes in hay-making which resulted in its foodplant, Clover being cut while this species was still in its early stages.
It seems C. semiargus was first recorded as British in 1710 and continued to occur in well known localities untill the last two specimen were captured in Wales during 1905. However most colonies in Britain died out long before that in the 19th Century. The best recording of this species in Britain, comes from C.W.Dale who wrote of his fathers encounters of this rare species in his book, The history of Glanville's Wootton in the Country of Dorset. J. C. Dale found the butterfly in several meadows at Glanvilles Wootton from 1808 to 1839, where it was last seen in a meadow called Mullet's Long ground.
Male from Glanvilles Wootton, J. C. Dale [OUNHM]
Aberration captured by J. C. Dale at Glanvilles Wootton [OUNHM] coll
Aberration captured by J. C. Dale at Glanvilles Wootton [OUNHM] coll
The following story is an amazing one and concerns that last two C. semiargus ever taken in this country during 1905. A well known collector of the time, a Colonel S.H. Kershaw was out for a walk with his wife near Llanbedrog in Wales when she spotted a struggling butterfly in a spiders-web which turned to be a C. semiargus. Earlier he had taken another specimen which was perfect. Amazingly both of the S.H. Kershaw specimens are in a private collection and they are shown here along with J.C. Dale specimens from Glanville Wootton and one of his from the Cardiff population.
The Kershaw spiderweb specimen Private coll.
The last known specimen captured by Kershaw from our resident population
A few C. semiargus have turned up in Britain since our resident population became extinct, these may be vagrants but it also a well known fact, that photographers breed this butterfly to obtain their images and then release the adult insects.
A specimen from Cardiff in the Dale collection [OUNHM]
Below a female from Glanvilles Wootton [OUNHM]]
It is now believed that the cause of the extinction of Cyaniris semiargus in Southern England and Wales was caused by the changes in hay-making which resulted in its foodplant, Clover being cut while this species was still in its early stages.
It seems C. semiargus was first recorded as British in 1710 and continued to occur in well known localities untill the last two specimen were captured in Wales during 1905. However most colonies in Britain died out long before that in the 19th Century. The best recording of this species in Britain, comes from C.W.Dale who wrote of his fathers encounters of this rare species in his book, The history of Glanville's Wootton in the Country of Dorset. J. C. Dale found the butterfly in several meadows at Glanvilles Wootton from 1808 to 1839, where it was last seen in a meadow called Mullet's Long ground.
Male from Glanvilles Wootton, J. C. Dale [OUNHM]
Aberration captured by J. C. Dale at Glanvilles Wootton [OUNHM] coll
Aberration captured by J. C. Dale at Glanvilles Wootton [OUNHM] coll
The following story is an amazing one and concerns that last two C. semiargus ever taken in this country during 1905. A well known collector of the time, a Colonel S.H. Kershaw was out for a walk with his wife near Llanbedrog in Wales when she spotted a struggling butterfly in a spiders-web which turned to be a C. semiargus. Earlier he had taken another specimen which was perfect. Amazingly both of the S.H. Kershaw specimens are in a private collection and they are shown here along with J.C. Dale specimens from Glanville Wootton and one of his from the Cardiff population.
The Kershaw spiderweb specimen Private coll.
The last known specimen captured by Kershaw from our resident population
A few C. semiargus have turned up in Britain since our resident population became extinct, these may be vagrants but it also a well known fact, that photographers breed this butterfly to obtain their images and then release the adult insects.
A specimen from Cardiff in the Dale collection [OUNHM]
Below a female from Glanvilles Wootton [OUNHM]]
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