Adonis blue
polyommatus bellargus latin

Being fussy makes the Adonis blue particularly vulnerable to habitat loss.

The adonis blue and silver-skipper butterflies are all but extinct.

An especially beautiful European butterfly is the Adonis blue.

The preferred habitat of the adonis blue is calcareous grasslands with hot and dry conditions.

In summer you may see dark green fritillary, adonis blue and chalkhill blue butterflies.

A good variety of chalk grassland butterflies can be seen in summer, including the Adonis Blue, re-introduced in 2002.

Species such as the rare Adonis Blue and Marsh Fritillary butterflies can be found here.

Butterflies include dingy skipper, grizzled skipper, chalkhill blue and adonis blue.

The Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

As rabbit populations have recovered, and land management has improved on special dedicated nature reserves, the Adonis blue has been making a partial recovery in some areas.

Polyommatus bellargus (Adonis Blue)

The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines, as it is in the Chalkhill and Adonis Blues.

The Adonis Blue has been rapidly declining because its habitat (grasslands) has been disappearing or becoming coarse and shady through a lack of grazing.

The Adonis Blue is also found where its larval food plant, Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) grows in favourable conditions.

The flowers include a number of orchids and the Chiltern Gentian; the butterflies include the Silver-spotted Skipper and the Adonis Blue.

Notable butterfly species include Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) and Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma) which may be found on warm, sheltered, south facing slopes.

Several species of butterfly became extinct owing to the loss of habitat to scrub, notably the Adonis Blue, Silver-studded Blue, Dingy Skipper, and Dark Green Fritillary.

The horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa is locally plentiful and supports both the Chalkhill Blue Lysandra coridon and the Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus butterflies.

A high concentration of colonies of three nationally scarce species, the Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus, Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina, and the largest population of Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia on the chalk, occur.

The pattern of the black spots is the best way to distinguish this species from female Common, Chalk Hill and Adonis Blues as they lack the black spot found near the base of the forewing which is present on these three species.

The Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.

A high concentration of colonies of three nationally scarce species, the Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus, Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina, and the largest population of Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia on the chalk, occur.