Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Small blue
The small blue (Cupido minimus) is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Despite its common name, it is not particularly blue. The male has some bluish suffusion at the base of its upper wings but is mostly dark brown like the female. The species can live in colonies of up to several hundred and in its caterpillar stage is cannibalistic.
Small blue males are dark brown with a scattering of bright blue scales that speckle their wings. Females lack this blue speckling. Both males and females exhibit the characteristic silver underside with black spots. The male has a bluish tint at the base of its wings similar to the upper side. Their wingspan can fall anywhere from 16-27mm, but males tend to be the smaller sex. Small blues are often confused with the female Osiris Blue, whose coloring is similar to that of the male small blue.
C. minimus is found in Europe, Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Tian-Shan, western Siberia, central Siberia, southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, Amur, Mongolia, Magadan and Kamchatka.
The small blue is the smallest butterfly species found in the United Kingdom. It has a very patchy distribution across the UK, with strongholds in the chalk and limestone grasslands of southern England, such as the Cotswolds and Salisbury Plain. Elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland, it is often found in coastal habitats, with widely scattered colonies in northern England and the far north of Scotland. It is a Priority Species for conservation in Northern Ireland and under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
C. minimus live in calcareous grasslands, abandoned quarries, railway and embankments and woodland edges and clearings.
Recorded larval food plants are Oxytropis campestris, Astragalus alpinus, Lotus corniculatus, Anthyllis vulneraria, Melilotus, Coronilla, Medicago, Anthyllis vulneraria, Astragalus glycyphyllos and Astragalus cicer, which all are legumes.
In the UK, small blues lay their eggs, live, and feed exclusively on the kidney vetch. While females obtain all of their nutrients from plants, males will extract salts and minerals from carrion, dung, and mud puddles.
During the courtship period, males will perch on a covered grass or shrubs while waiting for females. During this time, males become very territorial over their chosen spot. Virgin females flying by will mate with the males without any elaborate courtship. Mated females will wait in the grass out of sight to avoid other males when a male is nearby.
Hub AI
Small blue AI simulator
(@Small blue_simulator)
Small blue
The small blue (Cupido minimus) is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Despite its common name, it is not particularly blue. The male has some bluish suffusion at the base of its upper wings but is mostly dark brown like the female. The species can live in colonies of up to several hundred and in its caterpillar stage is cannibalistic.
Small blue males are dark brown with a scattering of bright blue scales that speckle their wings. Females lack this blue speckling. Both males and females exhibit the characteristic silver underside with black spots. The male has a bluish tint at the base of its wings similar to the upper side. Their wingspan can fall anywhere from 16-27mm, but males tend to be the smaller sex. Small blues are often confused with the female Osiris Blue, whose coloring is similar to that of the male small blue.
C. minimus is found in Europe, Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Tian-Shan, western Siberia, central Siberia, southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, Amur, Mongolia, Magadan and Kamchatka.
The small blue is the smallest butterfly species found in the United Kingdom. It has a very patchy distribution across the UK, with strongholds in the chalk and limestone grasslands of southern England, such as the Cotswolds and Salisbury Plain. Elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland, it is often found in coastal habitats, with widely scattered colonies in northern England and the far north of Scotland. It is a Priority Species for conservation in Northern Ireland and under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
C. minimus live in calcareous grasslands, abandoned quarries, railway and embankments and woodland edges and clearings.
Recorded larval food plants are Oxytropis campestris, Astragalus alpinus, Lotus corniculatus, Anthyllis vulneraria, Melilotus, Coronilla, Medicago, Anthyllis vulneraria, Astragalus glycyphyllos and Astragalus cicer, which all are legumes.
In the UK, small blues lay their eggs, live, and feed exclusively on the kidney vetch. While females obtain all of their nutrients from plants, males will extract salts and minerals from carrion, dung, and mud puddles.
During the courtship period, males will perch on a covered grass or shrubs while waiting for females. During this time, males become very territorial over their chosen spot. Virgin females flying by will mate with the males without any elaborate courtship. Mated females will wait in the grass out of sight to avoid other males when a male is nearby.