30/08/2026
The Adonis Blue butterfly completes its life cycle twice a year in the UK, this second brood emerges from August, sometimes into September, on Southern Facing Chalk and Limestone grassland
This provides the conditions for Horseshoe Vetch which is the sole food plant of the caterpillar and adult
The caterpillars share a special relationship with ants, which 'milk' them for a sugary secretion, and protect them from predators
The cryslais or pupa is taken into anthills, and is tended to, and protected by ants until the adult emerges
Hundreds were seen, an amazing spectacle seeing as though this rare butterfly is on the GB Red List as vulnerable
Managed by BBOWT, Yoesden provides the perfect microclimate and conditions for them to thrive 🦋