Closely resembling the Long-tailed Blue, this species is smaller with a distinctive, greyer underside. It is a strong migrant which can turn up in almost any habitat, although it is more numerous in agricultural areas, parks and gardens along Mediterranean coastlines. I saw one very flighty individual in Croatia which didn’t let me get very close, but I have since seen it in southern Spain.
Distribution: The Mediterranean, including the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, Italy, W Balkans and Greece. Migrates north each year to central Europe.
Flight Period: February to October in multiple broods.
Habitat: Almost anywhere, but very often in scrub, maquis, brownfield land, Mediterranean farmland and cultivated areas. As high as 1200m.
Foodplants: A wide range of Legumes (Fabaceae) and sometimes heathers (Erica), loostrifes (Lythrum) and roses (Rosa).
Nectar Sources: Umbellifers (Umbellifeae), hawkweeds (Hieracium), thymes (Thymus) and a wide range of other flowers. Occasionally mudpuddles.
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- Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Sierra de Almijara, Spain, July 2020
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- A rather poor shot, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Zadar, Croatia, July 2018
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- Common Vetch, Vicia sativa, a probable larval foodplant.
