Blues

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Britain's smallest butterfly, the Small Blue is a speciality of grassland, especially chalk downland in southern England, although it occurs in coastal localities in the north as well, where its foodplant, Kidney Vetch, grows.  It can be an elusive species and has declined markedly in the last few decades due to habitat degradation.

The Small Blue is more grey than blue, and its undersides are pale grey with black spots, similar to the Holly Blue.

Superficially, this little butterfly resembles a female of the Common Blue or another species, but the Brown Argus is always smaller - a difference that is much more easily seen than described!

The Brown Argus is a widespread species of southern and eastern England, although it is also common in limestone habitats on the north Wales coast.  Further north and west, it is replaced by the Northern Brown Argus (P.artaxerxes), which looks identical to some forms of the Brown Argus and can only be differentiated in Britain by range.  The boundary between the two species occurs in the Peak District, here in Derbyshire, but all Derbyshire specimens have proven to be P.agestis, albeit sometimes with white wing spots that are seen on P.artaxerxes!

Apart from size, the complete lack of any blue on the Brown Argus is a good character to separate individuals from female Common Blues, as is the pattern of spots on the underside of the hindwings (see Common Blue, below).

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In Britain, this shining, dark blue butterfly is mainly a resident of heathland, but other populations occur on coastal limestone in north Wales and Portland in Dorset.  In continental Europe, it is a much more widespread species, less strongly associated with particular habitats.

The Silver-studded Blue is named for the iridescent spots next to the orange markings on the underside of the hindwings.  These are easily seen when the butterfly is at rest.  The uppersides of the wings are a lustrious deep blue, very different to the Common Blue, etc.  The wide black borders are also diagnostic of this species, although the Holly Blue also has these, albeit much thinner.

Britain's commonest blue butterfly, and the only one present in most areas of Scotland, this is an attractive resident of open meadows where Bird's-foot Trefoil is abundant, although its larvae will also feed on other legumes.

The shining blue upper surface of the wings is shared only with the Adonis Blue (in Britain).  The pattern of spots on the underwings is helpful when identifying females, especially the two black spots near the wing base on the hindwings - these are in a horizontal line, rather than a vertical line (the Brown Argus has this difference).


Coombs Dale SSSI

Broadcroft Quarry BC Reserve, Dorset

For me, this is THE classic butterfly o southern England, and it is always the highlight of a pilgrimage to the chalk downland of Dorset.

The Adonis Blue is the brightest of Britain's blues, although this can be hard to capture on camera.  It is a stunning creature, at the north-western limit of its European range here, where it is almost entirely restricted to localities south of the M4 corridor.

Both sexes of the Adonis Blue can be distinguished from the Common Blue by the black dashes through the white fringe that forms the trailing edge of each wing.  In the Common Blue, this is pure white. 

Female Adonis Blues are the usual brown colour and look very similar to female Chalkhill Blues - a good view of the underside of the hindwings is needed to separate them.

 

Unmistakable in Britain, the Small Coppper is a widespread little lycaenid of grassland, meadows and other open places, where its sorrel (Rumex spp.) foodplants grow.  It is also seen in gardens, unlike most lycaenids except the Holly Blue.

The Small Copper is unusual among British lycaenids in having three generation per year, instead of the normal one or two, although in very warm years, the Common Blue may also produce a third generation.