Geranium Argus
Eumedonia eumedon
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Switzerland, June 2005

Switzerland, May 2005

Switzerland, May 2005

Switzerland

An egg, laid safely against the carpels of a Geranium flower

Another shot of the same egg

Spain, July

These pictures show the key feature of the geranium argus: the butterfly is always found sitting on a Geranium (cranesbill) flower! In case that should prove inconclusive, the brown upperside, the blue-like underside and particularly the white streak in the post-discal area of the underside hindwing are diagnostic.

Near where I live in Switzerland this butterfly appears as soon as the wood cranesbills come out (the flower in the first three pictures) at the end of May. It then flies through June and into July. I have also seen it in the Pyrenees in July, though it is not nearly so frequent there (and/or then).