Butterflies
Skippers
Whites
Hairstreaks
Blues and Coppers
Admirals
Vannesids
Fritallaries
Browns
Butterfly Survey 1976-2025
Common Blue
Female varies from almost fully brown to brown and blue
wingspan var : 28mm 32mm
Habit: The Common Blue is common on rough uncultivated grassland and verges and anywhere that its foodplant, birds foot trefoil can be found. Flies low - bright blue male substantially more active in flight than subtler female.
Double brooded, eggs are laid singly, the larvae feeding for several weeks before pupation. This cycle is interrupted at about the second instar stage for the overwintering larvae, which resume the cycle in the spring, the butterfly lately emerging in late April to mid May and then again in July .
Larval Foodplant: birds food trefoil, rest harrow and related plants
Status: not under threat, except from urban expansion, leisure grazing, the usual local council Inept management and mono culture grassland in parks and public spaces. Present in Shoreham, Eynsford, Ruxley, Bromley, High Elms
WH - White Hill Shoreham, BC - Bromley Common, BIC-Bickley, Kes - Keston, Ha - Hayes --BN - Bromley North - Ey Eynsford - Orp-Orpington, FACK - Fackenden Down and Bank
Thanks to Howard Walmsley and David Davis, Fred O'Hare
By Rodney Compton