About Albulina orbitulus (von Prunner, 1798)
Albulina orbitulus (von Prunner, 1798) has a wingspan of 25 to 30 mm. The upperside of the male’s wings ranges from sky blue to a greyish or steely blue, with no markings other than narrow black borders and white fringes. Females have brown wings, often with a faint dusting of blue suffusion at the wing bases. The apex at the end of the forewings is very pointed. Both sexes can be clearly identified by the conspicuous white spots that mark the otherwise pale greyish brown or beige underside of the wings. The spots on the underside of the hindwing are pure white and do not have black centers. This butterfly flies from June to August, with the flight period varying by location. In terms of ecology, the larvae feed on several species of the genus Astragalus: A. alpinus, A. australis, A. frigidus, A. norvegicus, and A. penduliflorus. They also feed on two species of the genus Oxytropis: O. campestris and O. montana, as well as on Hedysarum hedysaroides.
