Madrid, Spain, July 2011
Corsica, France, July 2012
Field notes and information
A distinctive species, rather unlike any of the other blues. It very occasionally reaches the UK where I was very fortunate to find one in the summer of 1998 on the south coast of Kent.
Identification & Similar species: A long tail on the hindwing separates this spices from most of the other blues. The uniform underside ground colour and a strong white submarginal streak confirms it. In flight it looks steely grey rather than blue.
Distribution & Flight: North Africa and Mediterranean Europe. Strongly migratory, it reaches northwards to north Germany. Occasionally reaching south England. It flies most of the year in the most southerly climes, migrating northwards as the season progresses.
Habitat & Behaviour: Very hot flowery places, particuarly with the larval food plants such as various pea plants, broom etc., Leguminosae . Often found flying very rapidly around stands of these plants where it can be quite numerous.
Valais, Switzerland, September 2012
NW Greece, July 2016
Light blue egg is visible.
Valais, Switzerland, September 2012
Hautes-Pyrénées, France, July 2017
Gibraltar, October 2014
Tenerife, Spain, August 2021
Anti-Atlas, Morocco, March 2022
Laying eggs on broad bean plants in oasis.
Anti-Atlas, Morocco, March 2022
Crete, Greece, April 2014
Shrubby sainfoin, Ebanus cretica, usually hosted swarms of this butterfly.
Prov. Malaga, Spain, July 2013
Madrid, Spain, July 2011
Madrid, Spain, July 2011
Valais, Switzerland, September 2012
Corsica, France, July 2012