(Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
Provençal Short-tailed Blue
Description:
The Provençal Short-tailed Blue occurs in woodland clearings, at the edges of woods, on grassy vegetation near bushes, and along the banks of streams and edges of ditches. Goat's-rue (Galega officinalis) and Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia) are its most important food plants, but other leguminous plants, such as Common Birdsfoot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Common Vetch (Vicia sativa), and Lucerne (Medicago sativa) are also used.
The caterpillars feed mostly on the flowers, but also on the leaves, and are attended by ants.
This butterfly species has two to three generations a year and hibernates as a caterpillar.
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mixed woodland
Mesophile grasslands
Humid grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Cupido decolorata
Cupido argiades
Cupido minimus
Cupido osiris