(Rottemburg, 1775)
Adonis Blue
Description:
The Adonis Blue is found on calcareous soil on moderately to very sparse grassland, that is often sheltered by neighbouring woods or shrub. Its food plants are Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) and Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia), and the eggs are laid on the leaves. It pupates in the litter layer. The caterpillars are attended by ants of the genera Myrmica, Lasius, Plagiolepis, and Tapinoma.
The Adonis Blue usually has two generations a year, and the caterpillars of the second brood hibernate. There are also some single-brooded populations in the south of Greece.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Similar species:
Polyommatus thersites
Polyommatus caelestissima
Polyommatus escheri
Polyommatus dorylas