Glandon Blue (Agriades glandon)
2009 photos highlighted in yellow. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 17613_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09 | 17652_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09 | 17770_male_Hautes Alpes_10Jul09 |
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| 17654_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09 | 17637_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09 |
Glandon is a high altitude species being found in the Alps and the Pyrenees in France. The lower end of the altitude range is 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 Alps, although the similar Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaicus) occurs in the Pyrenees. Glandon is often seen puddling, in fact I have never seen it when it is not puddling, when it is sedentary and can be quite hard to spot. I have never seen a female. 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, although whether that is because I was visiting different places or because glandon was having a good year, I could not say.
17613: a very dark male, probably an effect of the high altitude. Altitude 2100m.
17652: a slightly darker than average male, with quite pronounced uph marginal markings. Altitude 2100m.
17770: a fairly normal male glandon, paler but still at the same altitude as the other two on this page. Altitude 2100m.
17654: a male, slightly darker and more heavily marked than average. Altitude 2100m.
17637: a fairly typical male, seen at slightly lower altitude than the others on this page. Altitude 1890m.
17613_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09
17652_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09
17770_male_Hautes Alpes_10Jul09
17654_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09
17637_male_Hautes Alpes_09Jul09
