Satyrium spini melantho

The commoner of the hairstreak butterflies with a wingspan of 28-34 mm, males dark brown with distinct orange spots on the hindwings, females with orange patches on the forewings. The blue-spot lives in many types of habitats, along the coast, in garrigue, disturbed places, scrub, grassland, woodland, forest clearings, and alpine meadows. Host plants include trees of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), oak (Quercus spp.), and members of the rose family like blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and service-trees (Sorbus spp.). It flies from May through late July, flight is low and close to the ground like the majority of hairstreaks.

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Photographs

Attribution: Christian Pirkl (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Gilles San Martin (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Hectonichus (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Joram de Gans (Wikipedia Creative Commons)