Common Blues

The last few days have been mainly cloudy here, with occasional periods of sunshine. When the sun has shone, it has brought out plenty of butterflies to feed on the flowers in the dunes at the top of my local beach. 'Cabbage' Whites (Large and Small Whites) have been probably the most conspicuous, due to their large size and fast-flying ways, but I've also seen a few Small Coppers, and, today, a bright yellow Brimstone. However, the most numerous seem to be Common Blues. The males are particularly striking, and range from this tatty individual, feeding on Common Ragwort:

to this pristine specimen:

The females have a beauty of their own, their wing colour ranging from a dark brown, to blue with just a few brown markings:

Here's one in the wings-folded position:

And, finally, a mated pair:

I haven't done much butterfly photography, so hope to get out and sharpen up my techniques before the summer is gone.