Above similar to the preceding,[ L. anteros ] deep dark brown, with strongly marked discocellular spot, especially in the male.

From Scandinavia to the Sahara and northern India, and from the Canary Isles to the island of Askold in the Pacific, ascending in the mountains up to 10,000 ft. (Doherty).

Egg pale green, flattened, with the top concave and the surface minutely reticulate (Tutt, Harrison, Gillmer).

It could also be mistaken for the northern brown argus (Aricia artaxerxes) were it not for the fact that their ranges do not overlap in the UK, unlike on continental Europe.

This species has seen an expansion in its range in recent years and is widely distributed across south-east England and most of the Midlands with colonies occurring in Wales and as far north as Yorkshire.

These northern sites have seen a lot of confusion in recent years with genetic studies looking at various colonies to separate the two Aricia species.

Like other blues it is common on the chalk downlands of southern England but will also use other habitats such as woodland clearings, coastal grasslands and heathland.