Small Blue butterfly

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Personal observations and pictures from a butterfly garden in Cirencester, Gloucestershire and images from the English countryside

Copyright ©Linda Walls 1998-2005

The Small Blue butterfly is tiny. The wing colour is greyish-blue. The underside of the wings are marked with white-ringed black dots. Like the Holly Blue butterfly, there are no orange markings on the underside of the wings.

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My personal observations of the Small Blue butterfly

months seen in my garden: NONE
months seen in the English countryside: May and June?

Butterfly sightings 2005:

Small Blue on Selsley Common, 28 May 2005
Small Blue on Selsley Common, 28 May 2005
Small Blue on Selsley Common, 28 May 2005
Small Blue? on Kidney Vetch, 18 June 2005

Observations:

I went on a guided butterfly walk in May 2005 so these sightings on Selsley Common were confirmed.

I am uncertain whether I saw Small Blues in June 2003 or June 2005. Small Blue butterflies live in local colonies; This site in Gloucestershire has a colony of Small Blue and is also home to Marsh Fritillary.

The Small Blue butterfly is the smallest of the British Butterflies.

Reference Section

Size: 25mm (about half the size of the Small White - see list of butterflies by size)

First Generation flight period: May-June
Second Generation flight period: Aug-September in a good year

Habitat: Grassy slopes
Larval Food Plants: Kidney vetch

Family Group: Lycaenidae - see list of butterflies by family

This page last updated: 18 July, 2005

For british butterflies in flight this month, visit my homepage at www.butterflygarden.co.uk

The Small Blue butterfly might be confused with the Holly Blue butterfly