The Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis) is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 23 – 36 mm. It is easily recognized by its shiny sky-blue upperside (in males) and silvery-grey underside featuring a distinct metallic turquoise-green sheen at the base of the hindwings. It is primarily found in Palearctic flowery meadows and woodland edges.
Here are the key facts about this gossamer-winged butterfly:
Visual Differences: Males display a bright sky-blue upperside with a wide black marginal border. Females are typically dark brown with a grayish underside, sometimes showing a dusting of blue at the base of the wings. The underside of the hindwing has few to no spots, heavily contrasting with the turquoise base.
Habitat & Range: This grassland specialist thrives in warm, scrubby, and flowery meadows, forest clearings, and mountain pastures. It is widely distributed across mainland Europe, temperate Asia, and parts of North Africa, but is notably absent from the United Kingdom.Flight Period: It produces a single generation per year, with adults flying between April and early July, depending on the latitude and local weather.
Host Plants: Caterpillars feed strictly on various species of legumes (Fabaceae), such as vetches (Vicia), clovers (Trifolium), and milk-vetches (Astragalus). The species overwinters in the pupal stage within the leaf litter.Conservation
Status: It is currently evaluated as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, though it is monitored in localized regions as a grassland specialist.
Glaucopsyche alexis, the green-underside blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Palearctic.
The butterfly flies from April to July depending on the location, lingering in warm, lush meadows with plenty of its host plant, vetch (Vicia).
