African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna) | Species | ||||||||||||||||
 Male. Taken at La Oliva, Fuerteventura, on March 11th 2018. (1/640th sec at f11. © David Hastings)  Female. Taken at La Oliva, Fuerteventura, on March 11th 2018. (1/250th sec at f13. © David Hastings)  Underside. Taken at La Oliva, Fuerteventura, on March 9th 2018. (1/500th sec at f13. © David Hastings) DescriptionFamily: Polyommatinae Wing span: 18 - 26mm This tiny butterfly is well adapted to hot environments. The male has dark violet-blue upper wing surfaces, with wide sooty-black borders. The female is sooty brown with a blue suffusion at the base. It is found along the African coast from Morocco to Tunisia. It has spread to most of the southern parts of Europe, and the Canary Islands. It favours damp spots in hot gullies and coastal valleys, and irrigated places such as parks, gardens and arable fields. It has several consecutive broods between February and October. Larvae feed on Medicago, Melilotus, Acanthyllis, Armeria delicatula, Polygonum equisetiforme, Tribulus terrestris and Oxalis. Sightings
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