Mazarine Blue

Fascinating facts about the Mazarine Blue

• The Mazarine blue occupies a vast Palearctic range that stretches from the Arctic Circle across continental Europe, down to Morocco and the Middle East, and continues eastward to Siberia and the Russian Far East. Historically it supported a large native population in Britain during the early 19th century, but that group vanished before the 20th century, with the last resident possibly persisting until 1906. Today only occasional vagrants are recorded there.
• In the early 1800s the Mazarine blue was abundant across Britain, but the species disappeared from the islands before the turn of the 20th century, with some records suggesting the final resident colonies may have survived until as late as 1906. After that loss only sporadic individuals have been observed, usually as isolated vagrants rather than established populations.
• UNESCO began a feasibility study in 2009 to assess whether the Mazarine blue could be re-introduced to Britain, reflecting conservation interest in restoring the lost population. At the same time, the species has been experiencing a decline across its European range, particularly in Scandinavia, and the causes of this reduction remain unknown.
• The male's underside shows a black spot in space 6 together with two neighbours that form an obtuse angle, a pattern not shared by the similar Cupido minimus, whose spots make an acute angle. These spots sit on a greyish or ocher wing surface that is edged with white and a blue scaling near the base.
• Caterpillars feed primarily on red clover and other Trifolium species, and also use Vicia cracca, Anthyllis, Genista and Melilotus. They are found feeding in July and again in autumn on these plants before entering winter. The species overwinters as a young larva, then completes a single brood each year, with adults on the wing from May to August. This life-cycle ties the butterfly closely to the flowering periods of its legume hosts.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Mazarine Blue

In the warm, sun-drenched meadows of Europe, the Mazarine Blue dances on iridescent wings, its delicate form weaving an intricate ballet as it flits from flower to flower. With a gentle, almost ethereal quality, this tiny butterfly navigates the lush landscape, its powder-blue wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it sips nectar from the vibrant blooms that sustain it. As it moves, the Mazarine Blue leaves a trail of fleeting, shimmering beauty, a whispered promise of the magic that lies just beyond the edge of our everyday perception.

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