Large Blue
FamilyLycaenidae
Scientific NamePhengaris arion
RangeEurope, Asia
HabitatGrassland
About the Large Blue
A blue butterfly with an extraordinary life cycle. Its caterpillars trick red ants into carrying them into their nest, where they eat the ant grubs. They survive only with one particular ant species. It became extinct in Britain in 1979 but was reintroduced from Swedish stock in 1983 once scientists understood its dependence on ants. Its recovery is a famous conservation success.
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