(Linnaeus, 1761)
Idas Blue
Description:
The Idas Blue can be found on poor grassland and heath rich in herbaceous plants, both in open places and woodland.
Eggs are laid on many different species of leguminous plants, such as Broom (Cytisus scoparius), Hairy Greenweed (Genista pilosa), Common Birdsfoot-trefoil (Coronilla varia), White Melilot (Melilotus alba), and the Ericaceae, Ling or Heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Bog Whortleberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), and the Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum oelandicum).
The female deposits the egg onto a woody part of the food plant where the egg then hibernates. The caterpillars are attended a lot by ants, especially those of the genera Formica and Lasius. When fully grown, the caterpillar crawls into the passages of the ant nest to pupate.
Depending on the geographical location and the altitude of their habitat, the Idas Blue produces one or two generations a year.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Mixed woodland
Heath and shrub
Mesophile grasslands
Similar species:
Plebeius argus
Plebeius idas
Plebeius pylaon
Polyommatus escheri