| Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus (Rottemburg, 1775)) |
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Scientific name: Lysandra bellargus (Rottemburg, 1775) Common name: Adonis Blue French name: Azuré bleu céleste, Belargus, Adonis bleu. Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Rhopalocera Family: Lycaenidae Subfamily: Polyommatinae Wingspan: 27-32 mm. Biotope: Calcareous areas, dry meadows with flowers. Geographic area: Europe except the northern areas, south of Russia, Asia Minor, Turkey, Iraq, Iran. Flight time: May to June then July to August. Number of generations : 2 Caterpillar: Dark green with dark hairs and two yellow dorsal lines and two lateral lines. The head is black. Ants take care of the caterpillars. Host plant: Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa). |
You can tell apart male Adonis Blues with their intense blue colour on the upper side of the wings and with the white fringe thinly chequered with black. The under side of the wings is brownish showing black spots circled with white and one row of orange submarginal lunules. The upper side of the females' wings is brown with blue scaling near the base and orange submarginal lunules on the hind wings. The fringe is also white and thinly chequered with black. The under side of the females' wings is similar to males' one but a little darker. The Adonis Blue over winters as a caterpillar at its second development stage. |
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I have been looking for this Adonis Blue for a long time and now I have found it at less than three kilometres from home. The nature of the soil is changing at this place. The sandy deposits are replaced by the outcrop of a limestone anticline. There are many insects in this small meadow bordering cultivated fields. After having shot a few pictures to confirm the identification of the species I just need to try to shoot more aesthetic new ones. |
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One year later, still at the same place, this specimen has been very kind to pose for the picture with its wings wide open :-) |
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The years go on and there is no change. This is not so true. On the date that I update this page, that is to say almost 4 years after taking the picture, the area is under construction for the installation of a golf course. I hope there will be some untouched areas so that all these butterflies can continue to fly here. |
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The fringe thinly chequered with black is well visible on this picture. In the field, you can tell the male Adonis Blue apart at first glance with its intense blue colour. |
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The under side of the wings is brownish. |
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Another view of the under side of the wings. |
André Bon July 2017