Pale grass blue
Its caterpillars feed mainly on a common lawn weed, making this one of the most frequently seen small blue butterflies around houses across East Asia.
| Where | Grassy gardens and waste ground |
|---|---|
| Size | 20 to 30 mm wingspan |
| When | April to November |
Males show a pale violet blue upperside with a narrow dark border, while females are mostly brownish black with a variable blue flush near the wing bases. Both sexes share a pale grey brown underside marked with small black spots.
Caterpillars feed on wood sorrel growing in lawns and waste ground, and in warmer parts of its range this butterfly flies for most of the year, producing several overlapping generations.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Blue, Brown
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people and often seen resting on lawns and low garden weeds.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar violet blue males, but with a plain silvery white underside marked by a single neat row of black dots, rather than the Pale grass blue's grey brown, more scattered spotting.
Questions
Is the Pale grass blue dangerous to people?
Harmless to people and often seen resting on lawns and low garden weeds.
When can you see the Pale grass blue?
The Pale grass blue can be seen from April to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Frans Slieker, Natural History Museum Rotterdam, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Blues and coppers›Pseudozizeeria
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.