Furry blue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Polyommatus dolus
Male and female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Polyommatus
Species:	P. dolus
Binomial name
Polyommatus dolus Hübner, 1823
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The Polyommatus dolus, also known as the furry blue, is a beautiful butterfly from the Lycaenidae family. This butterfly lives in parts of Spain, France, and Italy. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823.

What Does the Furry Blue Look Like?

The male furry blue butterfly has a light, silky, grey-blue color on the outer parts of its wings. The parts closer to its body are a dirty brown.

The female furry blue looks quite different. Her upper wings are dark brown with veins that are even darker.

If you look at the underside of their wings, they are usually lighter in color. They have small spots, called ocelli, but they don't have a clear white line in the middle of their hindwings.

Where Do They Live?

The furry blue butterfly likes dry, sunny places. You can find them in dry grasslands, especially those with chalky soil, and in areas with tough, scrubby bushes. They live at altitudes between 600 and 1800 meters (about 2,000 to 6,000 feet) above sea level.

Life Cycle and Food

These butterflies usually fly from July to August. During this time, you might see them flying over fields, especially those with certain plants.

The young butterflies, called larvae or caterpillars, eat specific plants. They feed on plants like Onobrychis viciifolia, also known as sainfoin, and different types of Medicago species, which include plants like alfalfa.