Silver-studded Blue (<i>Plebejus argus</i>)

The Silver-studded Blue can be found in warm places on short vegetation, ranging from dry to quite damp, such as heath and poor grassland. Especially impressive are the roosting places with enormous groups, sometimes of hundreds of butterflies, asleep in a very small area. The eggs are laid on Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix), and on a wide range of leguminous plants. Usually, the eggs are deposited low down on the foodplant or on its woody parts. The egg hibernates. The caterpillars live on the leaves of the foodplants. They are often tended by ants of the genus Lasius. Pupation often takes place in the outer passages of the ant nests. The ants also give the pupa a lot of attention. Depending on the geographical position and altitude of occurrence, the Silver-studded Blue has one or two generations a year.

Family	Lycaenidae
Subfamily	Polyommatinae
Genus	Plebejus
Species	argus
Authority	(Linnaeus, 1758)
English Name	Silver-studded Blue

European Red List 2010	Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2010	Least Concern (LC)
European Red List 2025	Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2025	Least Concern (LC)
Habitats Directive
Bern Convention
CITES

#	Order	Family	Genus	Species	Vernacular Name
1	Ericales	Ericaceae	Arctostaphylos	uva-ursi	Bearberry
2	Ericales	Ericaceae	Calluna	vulgaris	Heather
3	Ericales	Ericaceae	Erica		Heaths
4	Ericales	Ericaceae	Erica	cinerea	Bell Heather
5	Ericales	Ericaceae	Erica	tetralix	Cross-leaved Heath
6	Ericales	Ericaceae	Vaccinium	myrtillus	Bilberry
7	Ericales	Ericaceae	Vaccinium	uliginosum	Bog Bilberry
8	Fabales	Fabaceae	Astragalus	cylleneus
9	Fabales	Fabaceae	Chamaecytisus	austriacus
10	Fabales	Fabaceae	Colutea		Bladder-sennas
11	Fabales	Fabaceae	Colutea	arborescens	Bladder-senna
12	Fabales	Fabaceae	Coronilla	varia
13	Fabales	Fabaceae	Cytisus	scoparius	Broom
14	Fabales	Fabaceae	Genista	anglica	Petty Whin
15	Fabales	Fabaceae	Genista	germanica
16	Fabales	Fabaceae	Genista	salzmannii
17	Fabales	Fabaceae	Genista	tinctoria	Dyer's Greenweed
18	Fabales	Fabaceae	Hedysarum
19	Fabales	Fabaceae	Hippocrepis	comosa	Horseshoe Vetch
20	Fabales	Fabaceae	Laburnum	anagyroides	Laburnum
21	Fabales	Fabaceae	Lotus	corniculatus	Common Bird's-foot-trefoil
22	Fabales	Fabaceae	Lotus	dorycnium
23	Fabales	Fabaceae	Medicago	lupulina	Black Medick
24	Fabales	Fabaceae	Melilotus	albus	White Melilot
25	Fabales	Fabaceae	Melilotus	officinalis	Ribbed Melilot
26	Fabales	Fabaceae	Onobrychis	supina
27	Fabales	Fabaceae	Onobrychis	viciifolia	Sainfoin
28	Fabales	Fabaceae	Ononis	spinosa	Spiny Restharrow
29	Fabales	Fabaceae	Ornithopus	perpusillus	Bird's-foot
30	Fabales	Fabaceae	Trifolium	montanum
31	Fabales	Fabaceae	Ulex		Gorses
32	Fabales	Fabaceae	Ulex	europaeus	Gorse
33	Fabales	Fabaceae	Ulex	gallii	Western Gorse
34	Fabales	Fabaceae	Vicia		Vetches
35	Lamiales	Lamiaceae	Thymus	praecox
36	Lamiales	Lamiaceae	Thymus	praecox ssp. britannicus
37	Lamiales	Oleaceae	Ligustrum	vulgare	Wild Privet
38	Lamiales	Plantaginaceae	Plantago	coronopus	Buck's-horn Plantain
39	Malvales	Cistaceae	Cistus	calycinus
40	Malvales	Cistaceae	Cistus	halimifolius
41	Malvales	Cistaceae	Cistus	libanotis
42	Malvales	Cistaceae	Helianthemum	canum
43	Malvales	Cistaceae	Helianthemum	canum ssp. canum
44	Malvales	Cistaceae	Helianthemum	nummularium	Common Rock-rose
45	Malvales	Cistaceae	Helianthemum	nummularium ssp. grandiflorum
46	Malvales	Cistaceae	Helianthemum	nummularium ssp. obscurum
47	Rosales	Rosaceae	Cotoneaster	microphyllus	Small-leaved Cotoneaster
48	Rosales	Rosaceae	Potentilla		Cinquefoils
49	Rosales	Rosaceae	Rubus		Brambles
50	Rosales	Rosaceae	Rubus		Brambles
51	Rosales	Rosaceae	Sanguisorba	minor

Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus)

Description

Distribution

Larval Foodplants