Thursday 24th July
I have been working on the Durham Heritage Coast today and whilst I had hoped to catch a glimpse of a dolphin or two patrolling the shallow waters, it wasn’t to be. My eyes were drawn away from the sea and to a different azure hue, this time in the form of the common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus).
A striking sight, the common blue can be identified from its similar cousin - the holly blue by the orange spots visible on the underside of the wing, which are absent in the holly blue species. The flora of the coastal meadows were looking particularly vibrant in the July sun, boasting a bounty of flowering knapweed, restharrow, carline thistle, field scabious and more. Glorius!
