Glandon is a high altitude species being found in the Alpes and the Pyrénées in France, the lower end of the altitude range being around 1800m. The male is a rather dull grey blue, but quite attractive nonetheless, and slightly smaller than the average Common Blue. It is not possible to confuse glandon with any other species in the Alpes, although the similar Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaicus) - which I have never seen - occurs in the Pyrénées. Glandon is often seen puddling, in fact I only ever seen males when they are puddling, when it is often sedentary and can be quite hard to spot on a grey stony surface. I had never seen a female until 2010 when I managed to see 21926; they appear to be very reclusive. Until 2008 I had only seen glandon in odd ones or twos at a few locations each year, but in 2009 it appeared in greater numbers in quite a few sites, and in 2010 I visited several places in the Alpes where it was relatively frequently-encountered and occasionally common; in one spot in the Queyras National Park there were some 50 or so puddling together.

Having now seen good numbers of glandon, it seems to me to be quite variable in both the upperside and underside. The upperside seems to vary in the degree and darkness of the blue scales, some specimens appearing quite dark, and in the degree of marginal markings on the uph. The undersides seem to vary from the unh clean brown of 22330 to the dark grey basal suffusion of 22408. The underside markings are quite distinctive and unlike any other species in the western Alpes.

In the new European taxonomy, this species now has the scientific name Plebejus glandon.

observations

a slightly darker than average male, with quite pronounced uph marginal markings.

quite a dark grey unh and a strong, almost black, basal suffusion.