Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)

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Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)


Photo © Albert Vliegenthart
FamilyLycaenidae
SubfamilyPolyommatinae
GenusGlaucopsyche
Speciesalexis
Authority(Poda, 1761)
English NameGreen-underside Blue
European Red List 2010Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2010Least Concern (LC)
European Red List 2025Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2025Least Concern (LC)
Habitats Directive
Bern Convention
CITES

Description

The Green-underside Blue is a pretty sight on both dry and damp flower-rich grassy vegetation, such as meadows and woodland clearings. The females lay their eggs between the flowers of different leguminous plants, including Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), brooms (Cytisus spp.), vetches (Vicia spp.), Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia), Genista spp., and melilots (Melilotus spp.). The caterpillars feed on the leaves and are frequently attended by the workers of various ants. Hibernation takes place as a pupa. The Green-underside Blue is single-brooded.

Distribution

Albania / Andorra (Possibly Present) / Austria / Belarus / Belgium / Belgium: Wallonia / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / Denmark (Irregular Vagrant) / Estonia (Regionally Extinct) / Finland / France / France: Mainland / France: Corsica / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Hungary / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sicily / Latvia / Liechtenstein / Lithuania / Luxembourg / North Macedonia / Moldova / Montenegro / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Romania / European Russia / San Marino / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Sweden / Switzerland / European Türkiye / Ukraine /

Larval Foodplants

#OrderFamilyGenusSpeciesVernacular NameLink
1FabalesFabaceaeAdenocarpuscomplicatus
2FabalesFabaceaeAnthyllisvulnerariaKidney Vetch
3FabalesFabaceaeAstragalusMilk-vetches
4FabalesFabaceaeAstragalusglycyphyllosWild Liquorice
5FabalesFabaceaeAstragalusonobrychis
6FabalesFabaceaeBituminariabituminosa
7FabalesFabaceaeColuteaarborescensBladder-senna
8FabalesFabaceaeCoronillavaria
9FabalesFabaceaeGenistaacanthoclada
10FabalesFabaceaeGenistacinerea
11FabalesFabaceaeGenistaflorida
12FabalesFabaceaeGenistatinctoriaDyer's Greenweed
13FabalesFabaceaeLotusBird's-foot-trefoils
14FabalesFabaceaeLotuscorniculatusCommon Bird's-foot-trefoil
15FabalesFabaceaeLotusdorycnium
16FabalesFabaceaeLotushirsutusHairy Canary-clover
17FabalesFabaceaeMedicagofalcata
18FabalesFabaceaeMedicagosativaLucerne (see ssp.)
19FabalesFabaceaeMelilotusalbusWhite Melilot
20FabalesFabaceaeMelilotuselegans
21FabalesFabaceaeMelilotusofficinalisRibbed Melilot
22FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychisSainfoin
23FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychisalba
24FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychisebenoides
25FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychishumilis
26FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychismontana
27FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychissaxatilis
28FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychissupina
29FabalesFabaceaeOnobrychisviciifoliaSainfoin
30FabalesFabaceaeSpartiumjunceumSpanish Broom
31FabalesFabaceaeViciacraccaTufted Vetch
32FabalesFabaceaeViciatenuifoliaFine-leaved Vetch
33FabalesFabaceaeViciavillosaFodder Vetch