Common Blue Polyommatus icarus icarus

Male
Male
Male underside
Male underside
Female - blue form. Female Common Blue is our most variable butterfly and can be found in a wide colour range...
Female - blue form. Female Common Blue is our most variable butterfly and can be found in a wide colour range...
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female - brown form, which can be confused with Brown Argus. There are usually a few blue scales scattered on the wings, as on the fore wings of this one</A>.
Female - brown form, which can be confused with Brown Argus. There are usually a few blue scales scattered on the wings, as on the fore wings of this one.
Egg
Egg
Newly hatched larva on Bird's-foot trefoil
Newly hatched larva on Bird's-foot trefoil
 
Information

Red List status: Least Concern
NERC Act S41: Not listed
Local status: Locally common. Colonies exist all over the county.
Size: Small.
Larval foodplant: Common Bird's-foot Trefoil, Black Medick, Lesser-yellow Trefoil and probably other related plants.
No. of broods: Two
Flight time(s): Mid-May to early July. Late July to late September.
Average first date: 9th May
Average last date: 2nd October
Winter: Larva
Habits: Generally flies below head height, unlike Holly Blue which generally flies higher. In flight the two species can be confused, but the undersides are distinctly different.
Habitats: Brown-field sites, downland, unimproved grassland, heathland, road verges, track edges, woodland rides.
Distribution: