Small Blue - Cupido minimus

This is our smallest resident butterfly with a wing span that can be a little as 16mm. The sexes are similar in appearance, although the male upperside is almost black with a dusting of blue scales, whereas the female is more dark brown in colour. Both sexes have an underside that is silvery-grey in colour, and not unlike that of the Holly Blue.

Suitable sites for this species are those that are sheltered and contain a good amount of Kidney Vetch, together with grasses and shrubs which are used for perching and roosting. A wide variety of habitats is used, including unimproved chalk and limestone grassland, abandoned quarries, road and railway embankments and woodland rides and clearings.

May to August.

This butterfly has a widespread distribution, being found from northern Scotland to the south of England, with colonies also in Wales and Ireland. However, outside of its strongholds in the south of England, colonies are often isolated pockets, typically in coastal locations. Most colonies consist of less than 30 adults, although a few colonies consist of thousands of adults. This butterfly is absent from the western and northern Scottish isles, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Rare in Leicestershire and Rutland.