Northern Blue

Plebejus idas

The Northern Blue is a beautiful butterfly with bright blue wings. It loves to flutter around flowers and is often seen in sunny places during the warm months.

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Northern Blue is a small, iridescent butterfly with males showcasing brilliant sky-blue upperwings bordered by thin black. Females are more variable, often brownish with some blue and sometimes orange spots. Its underside is grey-brown with distinct white-ringed black spots.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungLepidopteraFamilieLycaenidaeGattungLycaeides

Northern Blue

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Look closely: the underside of their wings has white-ringed black dots!

Male Northern Blues flash bright, iridescent blue wings in the sun!

Their tiny caterpillars offer sweet 'honeydew' as a treat for protective ants!

They are often spotted fluttering near their favorite pea-family plants in meadows.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Northern Blue larvae can produce sweet honeydew to attract ants that protect them from predators.

This butterfly has patterned undersides that help it blend perfectly into its natural habitat when resting.

Northern Blues possess excellent sight and smell to locate flower patches for essential energy.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 25-35 mm
Größe: 10-15 mm
Lebenserwartung: 14-28 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 8 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Caterpillars munch on plants from the pea family, while adults sip nectar from flowers.

Altersunterschiede: Caterpillars eat plant leaves; adults drink flower nectar for energy.

Hauptnahrung

Flower nectar
Bird's-foot Trefoil leaves
Clover leaves
Milk-vetch leaves

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Bird's-foot Trefoil

Lotus corniculatus

Larvae feed on its leaves for growth.

symbiotic with

Red Wood Ant

Formica rufa

Ants protect larvae in exchange for sweet honeydew.

pollinates

White Clover

Trifolium repens

Adults drink nectar, helping to spread pollen between flowers.

eaten by

Great Tit

Parus major

A common bird that preys on butterflies and their larvae.

Merkmale

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Bestäubermagnet

Beschreibt Pflanzen, die für eine Vielzahl von bestäubenden Organismen besonders attraktiv und nützlich sind.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.