One of our Common Blue Butterflies

The Common Blue is small, widespread butterfly. The male has blue wings with black-brown border and thin white fringe. The female is brown, similar to Brown Argus, but with blue dusting near body. Unlike Adonis and Chalkhill Blues, the dark veins do not extend into white fringes of wing margins.

Foodplants:

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil  is the main foodplant. Other plants used include: Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil , Black Medick , Common Restharrow, White Clover, and Lesser Trefoil.

Habitat:

It occurs in a range of grassy places where its foodplants grow in sunny, sheltered situations on downland, coastal dunes and undercliffs, road verges, acid grassland, and woodland clearings. It is also found in waste ground, disused pits and quarries, golf courses, and urban habitats such as cemeteries.

If you would like more information about UK butterflies, please visit the Butterfly Conservation website here.