COMMON BLUE Polyommatus icarus
Our commonest blue, occurring in various grassland habitats, including road verges and industrial wasteland. It’s hard to separate from other blues, especially the brown females. If it attacks another butterfly, it’s a male brown argus, not a female common blue; in the males, the underside markings often show through the blue upper sides, unlike in other blue males. There are early and late summer broods, and it breeds mainly on common bird’s foot trefoil.
SMALL COPPER Lycaena phlaeas
This tiny but pugnacious fiery dart of a