Northern Brown Argus
Aricia artaxerxes
This is the northern version of a very similar species, the brown argus; although both are brown with orange wing bands, they are members of the blue family, and can be confused with the females of some of the blue species, which themselves are also brown. The northern brown argus occurs from Lancashire northwards.
Larval food plant: common rock rose, which has a lovely yellow flower. Where seen: sheltered sunny hillsides in the North and in Scotland. Current conservation status: declining, and 54 per cent down since 1979.
Peter Eeles
