Callophrys rubi
Wingspan 27-34mm
Description
This small butterfly always rests with its wings closed and as a result you never see the brown upperwings. The underwings are an iridescent green with a trail of small white marks. The flight is fast and the butterfly is easily lost to view when flying over green vegetation.
Flight Period
Late April to early July
Larval Food plants
Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium)
Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatis)
Gorse (Ulex europeaus)
Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Dyer's Greenweed (Genista tinctoria)
Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)
Habitat
Calcareous Grassland
Heathland
Moorland (Scotland)
Wiltshire Sites
Pewsey Down
West Yatton Down
Boscombe Down
Cotley Hill
Status
Resident: frequent & very local
Earliest Sightings
Earliest county record 1st April 2012
Latest county record
3rd September 2010 Porton Down (Stuart Corbett)