Identifying features
Wingspan 26–31 mm. The male and female are quite similar, both with brown uppersides and orange, crescent-shaped markings along the wing margins. The undersides are brownish-grey with dark spots within white rings, large yellow-orange markings that almost form a continuous band along the wing margin, and a white wedge on the hindwing that nearly (but not quite) reaches the pale discal spot.
Similar species
Can be confused with common blue, which, in contrast, has a blue dorsal wing surface in the male (male).
Distribution
Along the southern Norway coastline near Stavanger, with some finds on Vestlandet and in Midt-Norway. Common in the east, north to Nord-Trøndelag; absent in Nordland, but present in Troms.
Biology
The egg is round and flat with a finely punctured pattern; it is laid on the underside of flower buds, one at a time, and hatches after approximately one week. The larva is greenish with a distinct red longitudinal stripe on the side.