(Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775)
Turquoise Blue
Description:
The Turquoise Blue likes the warmth, occurring on dry, flower-rich slopes and calcareous grassland, often where there is shelter from a wood or from bushes. The butterflies are nearly always seen on calcareous ground. The populations are usually small in mountainous areas, where they often occur with other blues.
The female lays her eggs on Kidney-vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), depositing them onto the underside of the leaves and also on the sepals. The newly-hatched caterpillars feed by scraping off the undermost layer of cells, so making little "windows" in the leaves. Later, they feed on the whole leaf. They are attended by various ant species, including those belonging to the genera Myrmica, Lasius, and Formica. The caterpillars pupate in the litter layer.
The Turquoise Blue mostly has two generations, but at higher altitudes and in the north of its range, it is single-brooded.
Habitat:
Alpine grasslands
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Polyommatus thersites
Polyommatus golgus
Polyommatus nivescens