Small mauve blue

Zizeeria karsandra karsandra

A small blue butterfly with a wingspan of 15-25 mm, males are a lilac-blue with dark brown margins that are wider in females. The small mauve inhabits a diverse array of habitats, along the coast and around waysides, in farmland, gardens, wasteland, scrub, grassland, forests, meadows, and mountains. Host plants are numerous, including amaranths (Amaranthus spp.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clovers (Trifolium spp.), spurges (Euphorbia spp.), yellow wood-sorrel (Oxalis corniculata), small caltrops (Tribulus terrestris), and knotweeds (Polygonum spp.). It flies from late February through October, the flight being weak and close to the ground.

Video

Photographs

male