Long-tailed Blue. Photo: Mike Brooke

Long-tailed Blue. Photo: Mike Brooke

Mike sent in these photos telling us:

During my survey this morning, 01/10/2026 I came across what I thought was a jaded female Common Blue but on closer inspection it wasn’t. The patterns on the underside of the wings and two small tails led to the ID of a Long-tailed Blue which was confirmed by the black spots on the open upper surface of the rear wings. My apologies for the not very good photos but it was perched for only a very few seconds.

Editor’s Note:  the Long-tailed Blue, a migratory butterfly is a rare and irregular visitor to southern England, usually in late summer. The distinctive “tails” and two adjacent black spots can clearly be seen in the first photo.