Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830)

Host plants:
Onobrychis species (sainfoin)

Habitat:
Polyommatus ripartii inhabits grasslands, steppe slopes, clear dry scrub and similar sites with Onobrychis up to medium-high altitudes (ca. 1900m).

Life cycle:
The caterpillar can be found from April to June. I found mostly half-grown caterpillars in northern Greece Askio mountains in late May. In the Chelmos mountains it was mature and common in all altitudes up to 1700m in late May 2017. The butterflies occur from late June to mid-August.

Endangerment factors:
Polyommatus ripartii is locally threatened by the usual factors (habitat loss due to human activities, as well as succession and reforestation after abandonment of extensive grazing).

Remarks:
Polyommatus ripartii is distributed very disjoint: northern Spain, southwestern Alps (Provence, maritime Alps), southern Poland, southern Balkans, Turkey, from the southern Urals to the Altai Mountains.