Best time to see: Jun to mid Sep

Key facts

Our commonest and most widely distributed blue butterfly

Habitat: sunny, grassy places – meadows, road verges and short grassland

Common throughout the British Isles except in highland areas

Recognition

Male is bright blue above with a black-and-white margin; female dark brown with orange crescents and dark spots

Both have pale brown underwing with black spots and orange marks around the margin

Flit just above ground by day and roost communally at night in sheltered clumps of tall grass; wingspan 35 mm

Lifecycle

Eggs are small white discs laid on birdsfoot trefoil plants in June and again in August

Caterpillars are plain green and slightly furry, hibernating among dead leaves when quite small

The chrysalis forms on the ground and is buried by ants; adults emerge in May/June and again in August