Green underside Blue
Glaucopsyche alexis (Poda, 1761)
Status
Corfu Status: Present EU Red Data Status 2010: Least ConcernDescription
A small butterfly, the male upperside is blue with a black margin, whereas the female if dark brown with a blue suffusion. The underside of the wings are distinctive with 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 are 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 <span style=
Observations
A relatively common butterfly in the spring.
Flight Times
Key to Seasons
Spring (Mar, Apr, May)
Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug)
Autumn (Sep, Oct, Nov)
Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb)
First and Last Sightings
The information provided here is based on verified sightings submitted via this website since January 1st 2021. Data prior to 2021 is from external sources.
| Year | First | Last/latest |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11/03/2021 | 13/05/2021 |
| 2019* | 01/04/2019 | 03/05/2019 |
Years marked * based on external data.
Number of Observations
| Number of sighting in 2021 | Total number of sightings |
|---|---|
| 73 | 73 |
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.
