Wingspan: 23–30 mm
Flight period of butterflies: in one or two generations from April to August
Larval host plants: species of the genus Homulica (Sedum)
The Orion butterfly (Scolitantides orion) is a medium-sized butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. When we observe it at rest, nectar-sipping or egg-laying, we will hardly mistake it for any other day-flying butterfly. The light gray underside of the wings is adorned with a pattern of distinctly emphasized black spots, and on the hindwings along the outer edge there is an orange band, which is bordered on both sides by black spots.
The male is dark brown on the upper side with some blue in the middle of the forewings and a dark spot in the center. Along the outer edge of the forewings and hindwings runs a band of blue, narrow crescent-shaped marks. The fringe along the outer edge of the wings is distinctly black-and-white.
The female is predominantly dark brown above, with the blue tint characteristic of the male, which is barely noticeable in her, and the pattern of crescent-shaped marks is also very faint in her.
The Orion butterfly is found all over Europe and also in our country it is a fairly rare butterfly species that lives in very warm habitats. Most often we will observe it on dry rocky and shrubby slopes with a thin layer of soil, where conditions best suit the larval host plants. Interestingly, the larvae are tended by certain ant species for some time before they pupate. We have more opportunities to encounter it in the Primorska region, as it has almost disappeared from Notranjska with the overgrowth of dry commons…
As a vulnerable species (V) it is listed on Slovenia's Red List of endangered butterflies.
