(Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775)
Damon Blue
Description:
The Damon Blue is the only blue with a white stripe running across the underside of the hindwing in both sexes and where the males are blue. However, rarely, brown males also occur. It is found on calcareous soil, on grasslands, rough vegetation, such as small patches at the edge of scrub or woodland, and also on abandoned Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) fields.
It lays its eggs on different species of Onobrychis, including Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia). The caterpillars seem to like being between the flowers and only start to feed late in the afternoon. They are often attended by ants of the genera Lasius or Formica. They pupate in the litter layer.
The Damon Blue has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Alpine grasslands
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Polyommatus dolus
Aricia nicias
Plebeius glandon