(Linnaeus, 1758)
Silver-studded Blue
Description:
The Silver-studded Blue can be found in warm places on short vegetation, ranging from dry to quite damp, such as heath and poor grassland. Especially impressive are the roosting places with enormous groups, sometimes of hundreds of butterflies, asleep in a very small area.
The eggs are laid on Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix), and on a wide range of leguminous plants. Usually, the eggs are deposited low down on the food plant or on its woody parts. The egg hibernates. The caterpillars live on the leaves of the food plants. They are often tended by ants that lick them, and perhaps even defend them. Pupation often takes place in the outer passages of the ant nests. The ants also give the chrysalis a lot of attention.
Depending on the geographical position and altitude of occurrence, the Silver-studded Blue has one or two generations a year.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Heath and shrub
Mesophile grasslands
Similar species:
Plebeius argyrognomon
Plebeius pylaon
Polyommatus escheri