LONG-TAILED BLUE
The long-tailed blue is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 23 to 36mm. It is also known as the pea blue due to the pea plant being its favourite host plant. The males upper wing is a violet blue with brown edges, whereas the female uppers are a sooty brown with a little blue or violet towards the body. The underside of the wings is a greyish brown with a broad white wavey line near the edge of the hindwing. There are also 2 black eye spots near the tail on the hind wing.
The adults fly from February through to early November and during this time can have up to 3 broods. The caterpillars are green or reddish brown with a dark stripe down the middle of their back. They prefer pea plants but will feed on other legumes. The adult's preferred habitat is dry grasslands filled with flowers, but they can also be seen on cultivated land, parks, and gardens. They are resident here and can be seen up to 2000m.
