Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Tribe: Polyommatini
Genus: Polyommatus
Subgenus: Polyommatus
Species: icarus
Subspecies: icarus, mariscolore

Key ID Features:
Violet-blue upperside of the male with narrow, black margin and clear, white fringe.
Female uppersides vary from brown to blue but retain white fringes.
Undersides of both sexes similar but female slightly bolder brown with well developed orange lunules.

Seen in UK: Late May-October

Living up to its name, this butterfly is the commonest blue found in the British Isles. While the male has bright blue uppersides, the female is primarily brown, with a highly variable amount of blue. This is the most widespread Lycaenid found in the British Isles and can be found almost anywhere, including Orkney. It is absent, however, from Shetland and the mountainous areas of Wales and Scotland. This butterfly forms reasonably discrete colonies measured in tens or hundreds, with individuals occasionally wandering some distance.

Text (c) UK Butterflies, used with permission
For more information click here

Photographer: Tim Tapley

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Tribe: Polyommatini
Genus: Polyommatus
Subgenus: Polyommatus
Species: icarus
Subspecies: icarus, mariscolore

Key ID Features:
Violet-blue upperside of the male with narrow, black margin and clear, white fringe.
Female uppersides vary from brown to blue but retain white fringes.
Undersides of both sexes similar but female slightly bolder brown with well developed orange lunules.

Seen in UK: Late May-October

Living up to its name, this butterfly is the commonest blue found in the British Isles. While the male has bright blue uppersides, the female is primarily brown, with a highly variable amount of blue. This is the most widespread Lycaenid found in the British Isles and can be found almost anywhere, including Orkney. It is absent, however, from Shetland and the mountainous areas of Wales and Scotland. This butterfly forms reasonably discrete colonies measured in tens or hundreds, with individuals occasionally wandering some distance.

Text (c) UK Butterflies, used with permission
For more information click here

Photographer: Tim Tapley