The butterfly flies from April to July depending on the location, lingering in warm, lush meadows with plenty of its host plant, vetch (Vicia).

Beneath silver-grey (male) or ashy grey (female), the forewing with 5 or 6 large rounded black spots, the hindwing with small ocelli and in its whole basal half with metallic blue-green dusting.

(82 g) is a very small form from Southern France and the Yalais which has beneath only 4 ocelli on the forewing and very scanty blue-green dusting at the base of the hindwing; above darker and duller blue.

(82 g) is similar to the preceding form; above very dull in colour, underside with blue-green scaling only in the basal half, the ocelli of the forewing reduced in size , those of the hindwing almost obsolete.

— Larva green or brownish, with reddish brown dorsal line accompanied by dark oblique parallel stripes which stand close together; head black.

The butterflies occur singly but are mostly common, being found on clearings in timber-woods and on wide roads, where they flutter along usually 1 to 2 m above the ground, with a slow, straight, flapping flight.