(Schneider, 1792)
Amanda's Blue
Description:
The German name for this butterfly, Prächtiger Blauling, Magnificent Blue, is well chosen, if only for the colour of the males. They are a bright sky-blue, and they also attract attention by their territorial behaviour. The females' modest brown has a greenish-blue sheen. Amanda's Blue occurs on flower-rich grassland with damp patches, that has some shelter from bushes or a nearby woodland edge.
The female lays her eggs on the leaves of various leguminous plants. The caterpillars hibernate in the litter layer and are attended by ants of the genera Lasius, Myrmica, Formica, and Tapinoma. They also pupate in the litter layer.
Amanda's Blue is single-brooded.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Similar species:
Polyommatus escheri