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Cranberry
Blue
Vacciniina optilete
Distribution: Alps (including France) and NE across Germany into all
of Scandinavia and Austria to the Baltic countries. Oddly there appears to be a
isolated group of colonies in FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).
Identification: The underside is distinctive - the single large orange
and bright shining blue pair of spots and a smaller copy in the anal angle
separate this from blues without orange and also blues with orange that is more
extensive. Upperside of the male is a strong rich but clear blue.
Flight time: Mid June to August. Flying earliest at lower altitudes
and southerly latitudes.
Habitat: In the Alps it flies in damp places at high altitudes often
amongst scrub or forests. In Scandinavia it flies over cranberry rich forest
floors and open places. Larvae take Cranberry (Vaccinium).
Behaviour: Males often visit damp ground to take salts.
Additional notes: Widespread and common in Scandinavia. Until the 2006
season I had thought this was a rare and uncommon butterfly in the Swiss Alps.
During the 2006 season however it was turning up on just about every visit to
the mountains above around 1600m - most places where I had not seen it before.
Adults often rest on the larval food plant Cranberry.
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