Brown argus
It belongs to the blue butterfly family yet carries no blue scales at all, relying on bright orange wing-edge spots instead.
| Where | Chalk grassland, coastal slopes, waste ground |
|---|---|
| Size | 25 to 31 mm wingspan |
| When | May to September |
Both sexes are warm brown above with a row of orange crescent-shaped spots along the edges of all four wings, and a faint bluish sheen rather than true blue scales.
Caterpillars feed on common rock-rose or stork's-bill and geranium leaves, and in the warmer parts of its range two overlapping generations fly, one in late spring and another in late summer.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Brown, Orange
Active
Day
To people
Harmless
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Female common blues are larger and usually show at least some blue scaling at the wing base, along with an extra dark spot on the forewing underside that the Brown Argus lacks.
Questions
Is the Brown argus dangerous to people?
The Brown argus is harmless to people.
When can you see the Brown argus?
The Brown argus can be seen from May to September, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by NobbiP, CC BY‑SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
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Butterflies and moths›Blues and coppers›Aricia
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.