Short-tailed Blue

Cupido argiades

Photo © Peter Eeles

Short-tailed Blue

Cupido argiades

Photo © Peter Eeles



This butterfly is one of the rarest immigrants to the British Isles with only 17 records in total. The first acknowledged specimens were seen on 18th and 20th August 1885 on Bloxworth Heath in Dorset, leading to the species' earlier name of the Bloxworth Blue. However, it subsequently turned out that a pair had been seen in a small quarry near Frome in Somerset in 1874. Half of all records were recorded in 1885 and 1945, two exceptional years for immigrants. All records come from southern England and the Channel Islands and most records have been recorded from a relatively-small area that encompasses east Dorset, west Hampshire and south Somerset. It has been suggested that these individuals have flown the channel from the heaths of Brittany in northern France, where the species can be abundant.


Distribution

Description to be completed.

Habitat

Description to be completed.

Nectar Sources

Description to be completed.

Foodplants

Description to be completed.


Phenology

Description to be completed.