Various Blue Butterflies Lycaenidae species

Various Blue butterflies from south-eastern Kazakhstan not yet fully identified.

Green Underside Blue Butterfly
Green-underside Blue Butterfly
Green-underside Blue Butterfly
Thought to be the GREEN-UNDERSIDE BLUE, Glaucopsyche alexis, which lives on grasslands and steppes from Europe/North Africa through to eastern Kazakhstan. The caterpillars create honeydew and are protected by ants which feed on the honeydew.
Not Green Underside Blue Butterfly
Not Green Underside Blue Butterfly
Not Green-underside Blues (pattern of spots on the underwings is different).
Alcon Blue Butterfly
Alcon Blue Butterfly
Thought to be the ALCON BLUE, Phengaris alcon, which is found in Europe and northern Asia. The caterpillars start life on Gentian plants before being taken into ants' nests.
Osiris Blue Butterfly
Osiris Blue Butterfly
Osiris Blue Butterfly
Thought to be the OSIRIS BLUE, Cupido osiris, found in mountains of southern Europe, Asia Minor, south Siberia and Central Asia - these in the Tian Shan, Kazakhstan, taken by Alexandra Makhnina. It looks similar to the closely related Small Blue which is also found in the Tian Shan region.
Not Alpine Argus Butterfly
Not Alpine Argus Butterfly
Chortobius (coenonympha) sunbecca. Mountain species, similar to Alpine Argus, Plebejus orbitulus, (pattern of underside forewing is different).
brown line