Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Callophrys (Beautiful eyebrows) rubi ("bramble")

Adult Green Hairstreak (subspecies C. r. rubi) at Cliffe Pools, Kent - March 2014

Featured Subspecies: Callophyys rubi rubi

Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 28mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Green Hairstreak is a very attractive butterfly, most obviously distinct from the fact that its underwings are a vivid green.  It is found on Bird's foot trefoil but will rest upon small shrubs to sun itself, such as small hawthorn bushes.  It never opens its wings while resting as the green colour is part of its camoflage.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Callophrys 
SUBSPECIES: C. r. rubi, C. r. fervida, C. r. borealis, C. r. sibirica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A localised resident

 - Seen in Geddington, Cliffe Pools and Brigstock, 

Further Notes:  BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Cycad Blue (Chilades pandava)

OTHER NAMES: Plains Cupid

Latin Etymology: Chilades (?) pandava (?)

Adult Cycad Blue (subspecies C. p. pandava) at Kuala Lumpur - July 2016

Featured Subspecies: Chilades pandava pandava
Wingspan: 25-30mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A small blue butterfly found in India and South-East Asia, it is one one of the few species of butterfly to breed on cycads.  It has subtle distinctive appearances for the broods from wet or dry seasons.  Seemingly a very robust species in terms of human disturbance, I found them in a heavily managed parkland in the centre of Kuala Lumpur.

Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Chilades
SUBSPECIES: C. p. pandava, C. p. vapanda, C. p. lanka

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - A fairly common resident

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: A several seen in Kuala Lumpur

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Zizina (?) otis (?)

Adult Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis - subspecies unknown) at Ang Mo Kio, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: unclear
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 1.8-2cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A tiny butterfly species that is the most common of the grass blue species in Singapore - it lacks the distinctive underwing markings of the other species, which are fairly faint in this species.  An intriguing case in some ways - although like all butterflies it flies, it rarely goes higher than a few centimetres off the ground, making it a far more subtle presence than most butterflies.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Zizina
SUBSPECIES: Z. o. annetta, Z. o. aruensis, Z. o. caduca, Z. o. indica, Z. o. kuli, Z. o. lampa, Z. o. lampra, Z. o. luculenta, Z. o. mangoensis, Z. o. oblongata, Z. o. oriens, Z. o. otis, Z. o. oxleyi, Z. o. parasangra, Z. o. riukuensis, Z. o. sangra, Z. o. soeriomataram, Z. o. tanagra

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - Common resident

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several seen at Ang Mo Kio

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Pale grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria maha)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Pseudozizeeria (?) maha (?)

Adult Pale Grass Blue (subspecies P. m. maha) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Pseudozizeeria maha maha
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 2-2.5cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Pale Grass Blue is a recent arrival to Singapore; it was only first recorded there in 2001 and likely arrived with some human assistance, whether intentional or accidentally on some imported plants.  It seems to have found itself a good environment as it is now considered a fairly common species - given that I mostly saw is fluttering around close cut grass in parkland, a niche in ample supply in Singapore, it's probably there to stay for the forseeable future.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Psuedozizeeria
SUBSPECIES: P. m. maha, P. m. ossa, P. m. okinawana, P. m. diluta, P. m. saishutonis, P. m. argia

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - Common resident

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several seen at Bishan Park

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Black-banded Hairstreak (Antigius attilia)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Antigius (?) attilia (?)

Adult Black-banded Hairstreak (subspecies A. a. yamanakashoji) at Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens, Japan - July 2011

Featured Subspecies: Antigius attilia yamanakashoji
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 14-16mm
NOT UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

This species is a hairstreak species that I located in the Park of the Imperial Palace Gardens in Kyoto.  It was found in a wooded area, which matches with general hairstreak habitat.  It is apparently found throughout the Northern continental Asian section of the Pacific rim, from Japan, China, the Russian far east down to China and Taiwan.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Antigius
SUBSPECIES: A. a. atilla, A. a. tropicanus, A. a. yamanakashoji, A. a. obsoletus

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ミズイロオナガシジミ  /  Mizuiro-onaga shijimi ("Pale-blue Long-tailed Shimiji")

 A locally common resident.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: Common throughout Kyoto

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

OTHER NAMES: American Copper, Common Copper
Latin Etymology: Lycaena (unclear) phlaeas ("to burn up")

Adult Small Copper (subspecies L. p. eleus) at Geddington, Northants - September 2010

Featured Subspecies: Lycaena phlaeas eleus
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 25-35mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

Thankyou to Paige Hunter for spotting this one for me! The small copper is an attractive small species related to the blues. It is found in a broad variety of habitats including woodland clearings, urban wasteland and heath. Note the lack of eyespots to differentiate it from other orange and brown species.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lycaena
SUBSPECIES: L. p. hibernica, L. p. eleus, L. p. phlaeas, L. p. polaris, L. p. kamtschatica, L. p. ganalica, L. p. daimio, L. p. hypophlaeas, L. p. chinensis, L. p. oxiana, L. p. comedarum, L. p. stygiana, L. p. shima, L. p. pseudophlaeas, L. p. ethiopica, L. p. abbottii, L. p. flavens, L. p. coccinea, L.p. americana, L. p. arethusa, L. p. arctodon, L. p. feildeni, L. p. alpestris

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species

 - Seen in Geddington, Brigstock and numerous other locations

Further Notes: BirdGuides, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Aricia ("a city in Latium") agestis (?)

Adult female Brown Argus (subspecies A. a. agestis) at Geddington, Northants - July 2011

Featured Subspecies: Aricia agestis agestis
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 25-31mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

A small attractive grassland species, the Brown Argus is actually a member of the "blues" despite being brown in appearance. However, the underside of the wings do look very much like the underside of what you'd expect a blue to look like. A small unobtrusive species, so far I've never seen it in notable numbers.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Aricia
SUBSPECIES: A. a. agestis, A. a. calida, A. a. azerbaidzhana, A. a. nazira

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington and Rainham

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Purple Hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Neozephyrus ("New + Greek God of West Wind" ) quercus ("oak")

Adult Purple Hairstreak (subspeciesN. q. interjectus) at Brigstock, Northants - July 2011

Featured Subspecies: Neozephyrus quercus interjectus
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 31-40mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

Supposedly the most common of the hairstreak butterflies found in the UK, the Purple Hairstreak resembles one of the blue butterflies when its wings are open, and when they are closed, like many of the other hairstreaks, from which it is differentiated from by the lesser amount of orange on the outer wings. As with most hairstreaks they are primarily found high in the treetops but come down to ground level to bask in sunlight.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Lycaenidae 
Genus: Neozephyrus
SUBSPECIES: N. q. interjectus, N. q. longicaudatus, N. q. iberica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A widespread but secretive canopy species

 - Seen in Geddington, Brigstock and Hamspstead Heath

Further Notes: BirdGuides, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

OTHER NAMES: Wood Blue, Azure Blue
Latin Etymology: Celastrina (?) argiolus (?)

Adult Holly Blue (subspecies C. a. britanna) at Brent Reservoir, London - July 2009

Featured Subspecies: Celastrina argiolus britanna
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 26-34mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

Holly Blues are the second most common species of blue butterfly in the UK. They are are small, and can be identified by their markings. Despite their name, they are found on a wider variety of plants than just holly including bramble, gorse and ivy.  Adults often feed on sap,aphid honeydew and carrion.

Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Lycanidae 
Genus: Celastrina
SUBSPECIES: C. a. argiolus, C. a. bieneri, C. a. britanna, C. a. hypleuca, C. a. mauretanica, C. a. iynteana, C. a. kollari, C. a. kollari, C. a.caphis, C. a. ladonides, C. a. sugurui, C. a. cinerea, C. a. echo, C. a. gozora, C. a. ladon

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington, Brent Reservoir and numerous other sites 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto 

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Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

OTHER NAMES: Common Blue Butterfly

Latin Etymology: Polyommatus ("furnish with eyes") icarus (after the mythical figure)

Adult Common Blue (subspecies P. i. icarus) at The Lizard, Cornwall - June 2001

Featured Subspecies: Polyommatus icarus icarus
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 25-40mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

As the name suggests, Common Blues are the commonest of the blue butterflies. They are smaller than many of the more familiar butterflies, and, as there are a number of varieties of similarly sized and coloured butterflies. The common blue has notable orange patches on the underside of the wings. Their main food stuff is Bird's Foot Trefoil.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Lycaenidae 
Genus: Polyommatus
SUBSPECIES: P. i. mariscolore, P. i. fuchsi, P. i. omelkoi, P. i. ammosovi, P. i. fugitiva, P. i. napaea, P. i. icarus

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen at sites including Geddington and Rainham

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Pea Blue (Lampides boeticus)

OTHER NAMES: Long-tailed Blue

Latin Etymology: Lampides (?) boeticus (a province of the Iberian peninsula)

Adult Pea Blue (subspecies P. t. brittaniae) at Kamakura, Japan - November 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 24-34mm
NOT UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

The Pea Blue is a widespread species found broadly across much of the Old World.  I spotted this species in Kamakura on an unusually warm day in late November on a headland overlooking Mount Fuji.  I had seen some small blue species in Kyoto the previous year too which may have also been this species.  In the UK it is a vagrant species in some years and has even bred, although it is apparently unable to survive our Winters and thus has not become established.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lampides
Subspecies: N/A

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - ウラナミシジミ  /  Uranami shijimi ("Wave-patterned Butterfly")

Locally common resident

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Several on the outskirts of Kamakura 

Further Notes: BirdGuides, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Lysandra ("liberator") coridon (?)

Adult Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon)  at Roston, UK - July 2026

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 30-36mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A large species of blue butterfly which prefers calcareous grasslands, that is, where the soil is alkaline due to being composed of chalk or limestone, particularly here they host lots of wildflowers. The species is very sedentary and tends not to travel very far to colonise new habitats which can make them particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. As caterpillars they feed on horseshoe vetch and have a symbiotic relationship with various ant species - the catepillars produce a sugary fluid for the ants in exchange for protection.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lysandra
SUBSPECIES: L. c. coridon, L. c. asturiensis, L. c. borussia
 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A local and very habitat restricted species
Seen near Royston

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Satyrium (Satyr-like) w-album (for the "W" like marking on their hindwings)

Adult White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) at Brigstock, Northants - June 2026

Featured Subspecies: ?
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 36mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A widely distrubted species ound across Eurasia from Western Europe to Japan, they are however a specialist of Elms which has left their habitat in the UK at least massively reduced due to the effects of Dutch Elm Disease. Colonies will often remain loyal to a single tree over many years, and are mostly seen high in the branches rather than near ground level.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Satyrium
SUBSPECIES: S. w. fentoni, S. w. sutschani

 Sighting Locations - 

UNITED KINGDOM - A widespread but patchily distributed species

 - Seen at Brigstock, Northamptonshire 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Western Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:  Brephidium (?) exilis ("small")

Adult Western Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis) at Hayward, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: Brephidium exilis exilis
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 1.2-2cm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED/ IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The smallest butterfly species in North America and one of the smallest in the entire world, they are primarily found in alkaline habitats such asthe salt marshes where I saw them in California. An introduced range has established itself in various nations of the Middle East.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Brephidium
SUBSPECIES: B. e. exilis, B. . ipphthalma, B. e. thompsoni, B. e. yucateca

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Found at South Western States
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at  Hayward  

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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