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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of Britain & Europe
 
Adonis Blue
Lysandra bellargus DENIS & SCHIFFERMULLER, 1775
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily - POLYOMMATINAE
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, male, Dorset, England
 
Introduction
 

The Adonis Blue is found throughout most of the warmer parts of Europe, but is absent from Scandinavia, the Mediterranean islands, and all except the southern counties of Britain. Beyond Europe it also occurs in Turkey, and eastward to the Black Sea.

 

In continental Europe it is possible to confuse this species with several others in the same genus. All members of the genus Lysandra are characterised by having chequered margins, which are not present in Polyommatus, Plebicula, Agrodiaetus etc. The other members of Lysandra have a much paler silvery blue colouration, with the exception of the Spotted Adonis Blue L. punctifera, which has a series of sub-marginal black spots on the upperside wings.

 
The Adonis Blue, like most other "Blues" is sexually dimorphic - only the males have the beautiful overall electric blue colouration. The females by comparison are dull chocolate brown, with a dusting of deep blue scales across the basal and median areas of the wings. The extent of the blue dusting varies considerably between individuals of the same population. All females also have a dark discal spot on the forewings, and a row of orange sub-marginal lunules on the hindwings.
 
 
The Adonis Blue tip and many other species have conspicuously coloured males, but relatively plain females. Males use "flash colouration" to confuse predators. If a bird sees the butterfly in flight or basking on a flower, it targets the bright blue image. The butterfly reacts to threat by settling immediately on the ground and closing it's wings, revealing the spotted greyish underside which is an effective camouflage when it is settled on chalky soil. The bird's blue target image has disappeared, and the butterfly escapes unnoticed.
 
Female Adonis Blues are passive, tending to move very little until mated. When searching for egg-laying sites they tend to move slowly and deliberately, and for them, plainer colours are a better means of defence. Most female Adonis Blues are dingy brown in colour, with hardly any blue scales, so they easily escape the notice of birds. The female illustrated below is an exceptionally bright form, but still far less conspicuous than the bright blue males.
 
 
Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, female, Dorset, England
 
Adonis Blues sometimes hybridise with the Chalkhill Blue L. coridon, producing the hybrid polonus ZELLER, but the progeny are infertile.
 
Habitats
 
In Britain the butterfly is confined to dry chalk and limestone grasslands in the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Sussex and Kent.
 
It breeds in compact and dense populations comprising hundreds, or sometimes many thousands of individuals. The populations however are highly localised - breeding in a restricted area of each site, even if the larval foodplant is widespread.
 
Most colonies are south-facing slopes where horseshoe vetch plants grow in profusion, and which are grazed heavily by rabbits, sheep or cattle. A very warm microclimate is essential for this species - even a minor relaxation in grazing can bring about a major decline or local extinction. All sites are characterised by the presence of patches of bare ground caused by erosion, poaching, or rabbit excavations.
 
In Europe the butterfly is less fussy about it's habitats, and can often be found flying by roadsides, or in areas of long grass and scrub on limestone plateaux.
 
Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, male, Hampshire, England
 
Lifecycle
 
There are two generations in Britain, the first emerging in May, and the second in late August.
 
The flat whitish eggs are laid singly on the underside of young leaves of horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa. There are no alternative foodplants. The butterflies choose plants which are in full sunlight, in sun-baked positions at the edge of rabbit scrapes, paths or other patches of bare ground.
 
The caterpillars feed diurnally, and rest on the upperside of leaves of the foodplant. Older larvae very often have ants in attendance ( e.g. Lasius niger, L. alienus, Myrmica sabuleti ), attracted by the sugary secretions which they "milk" from glands on the caterpillar's tail. As dusk approaches, the larvae retreat to the base of the plants, and are covered in soil particles by the attendant ants. In captivity, the larvae seem unable to survive without the presence of ants.
 
Larvae of the second generation enter hibernation almost immediately after hatching, and awaken to begin feeding in March.
 
When fully grown they are deep green, each segment having a prominent hump. A series of bright yellow dashes runs along each side below the spiracles, and a pair of broken yellow stripes run along the back.
 
The chrysalis at first is pale olive, but changes to become straw coloured after a few days. It is formed on the surface of the ground, but ants quickly cover it with a thin layer of soil. After about 2 weeks the adult butterfly emerges, breaks it's way through the soil, and crawls up a stem where it hangs to dry it's wings.
 
Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, male, Dorset, England
 
Adult behaviour
 
Males patrol constantly back and forth across their habitat in search of females, stopping every now and then to nectar avidly at the flowers of horseshoe vetch, bird's foot trefoil, marjoram or thyme. Occasionally they visit taller plants including thistles, knapweeds and hemp agrimony. They have also been frequently observed gathering to feed at animal droppings.
 
Females are seen far less frequently as they are much less conspicuous, and sedentary in behaviour.
 
Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, copulated pair, Hampshire, England
 
Copulation occurs without preliminary courtship, at about midday. Copulated pairs, if disturbed will fly a short distance to find a safer resting place.
 
In hazy sunshine, butterflies of both sexes, including copulated pairs, will bask in rabbit scrapes or other bare patches, with their wings held partly or fully open.
 
On sunny days, as dusk approaches, the butterflies will congregate to roost on grass-heads in sheltered areas where tall grasses receive the final rays of the setting sun. They roost head-downwards, often in groups of 20 or 30, with up to 5 individuals on each grass-head.

 

Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, male, Dorset, England
 
                                                       
Almost every British and European species of butterfly is declining rapidly in numbers, due in most cases to loss or degradation of habitats.
 
You can help to reverse the decline by supporting conservation organisations which purchase and manage habitats as nature reserves, and which lobby government at local, national and international levels, often very successfully, to bring about changes in farming, forestry and urban development policies.
 
Please contact the conservation organisations for advice on how you can help protect British and European butterflies and their habitats. You may be able to offer practical help e.g. by monitoring butterfly populations or helping to manage nature reserves. Donations to these organisations enable them to employ ecologists and biologists. Even if you are unable to provide such help, merely having your name on the membership list can be a powerful tool for conservation organisations wishing to demonstrate the levels of support they have for their policies.

 

 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
 
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