(Knoch, 1781)
Cranberry Blue
Description:
The Cranberry Blue occurs on raised bogs, heath and also in woodland clearings, where dwarf shrubs are growing.
Although populations are at times extremely small, they can also have considerable numbers of butterflies.
Eggs are laid on Marsh Andromeda (Andromeda palustris) and a small number of Vaccinium species, including Cranberry (V. oxycoccos).
The caterpillars eat both the flowers and leaves of the food plants, moving from one plant to another. When they are half-grown, they move into the litter layer and hibernate. However, they pupate on the plant, spinning a silken girdle in which the chrysalis hangs.
The Cranberry Blue has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Raised bogs
Coniferous woodland
Similar species:
Unmistakable