As its name suggests, this butterfly has a strong association with geraniums, using them as both a foodplant and primary nectar source. Both the male and female have brown upperwings and can be quite easy to spot among clusters of geranium flowers. On the underside there is a striking white line which is the primary identification feature. I managed to find a small colony in the surroundings of Cluj in Romania where they are not very common and had difficulty photographing these wary creatures!
Distribution: Scattered in hilly areas in southern and western Europe, such as the Sierra Nevada, Pyrenees and Massif Central. More common east of the Alps throughout eastern Europe and Fennoscandia.
Flight Period: May-August in 1 brood.
Habitat: Woodland clearings and rides, light flowery scrub, field margins, damp alpine grasslands up to 2400m. Usually below 900m in N Europe.
Foodplants: A variety of cranesbills (Geranium).
Nectar Sources: Primarily cranesbills (Geranium) but occasionally other flowers.
-
- Geranium Argus, Cluj, Romania, June 2019
-
- Geranium Argus, Cluj, Romania, June 2019
-
- Ashy Crane’s-Bill, Geranium cinereum, one of the larval foodplants.
