Green underside Blue

Glaucopsyche alexis (Poda, 1761)

Status

Description

A small butterfly, the male upperside is blue with a black margin, whereas the female is dark brown with a blue suffusion. The underside of the wings are distinctive and are a light greyish brown. The forewing has a row of prominent black spots with a white border; the hindwing has a prominent turquoise basal suffusion, which is more greenish in the female. The hindwing black spots are noticeably smaller than those on the forewing. The butterfly could potentially be confused with Cyaniris semiargus, which has black spots but of equal size, and only a small blue basal suffusion. 

Habitat Requirements

Wet meadows and areas with lush vegetation.

Larval Foodplants

Wild Liquorice Astragalus glycyphyllos, Calicotome villosa, Bladder-senna Colutea arborescens, Broom Cytisus scoparius - not on Corfu, Cytisus villosus, Goat's-rue Galega officinalis, Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Hairy Medick Medicago polymorpha, Lucerne Medicago sativa, Onobrychis aequidentata, Onobrychis caput-galli, Crown Vetch Securigera varia - not on Corfu, Spanish Broom Spartium junceum, Vicia cordata, Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca, Spring Vetch Vicia lathyroides

Observations

A relatively common butterfly in the spring.

*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Green underside Blue submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.

First and Last Sightings

Year First Last/latest # Days
2023 30/03/2023 22/05/2023 53 days
2022 22/03/2022 20/05/2022 59 days
2021 11/03/2021 13/05/2021 63 days

Number of Observations

Year Number of observations
2023 110
2022 145
2021 73
Grand Total 328

Distribution Map

Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.

Flight Times for the Green underside Blue (2023)

The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023

Flight Times for the Green underside Blue (All Data)

The chart below shows flight data by month since 1st January 2021

Taxonomy

  • Vernacular/Common Name: Green underside Blue
  • Family: Lycaenidae (Leach, 1815)
  • Sub-family: Polyommatinae (Swainson 1831)
  • Tribe: Polyommatini (Swainson 1831)
  • Sub-tribe: Scolitantidina (Hübner, [1819])
  • Genus: Glaucopsyche (Scudder, 1872)
  • Species: alexis (Poda, 1761)

References

For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.