Zizula hylax (Dainty Grass-blue)
13/06/2022
Cairns
29/05/2010
Cairns
13/06/2022
Cairns
13/06/2022
Cairns
13/06/2022
Cairns
28/03/2016
Cairns
21/02/2020
Smithfield Regional Park, Cairns
21/02/2020
Smithfield Regional Park, Cairns
21/02/2020
Smithfield Regional Park, Cairns
21/02/2020
Trinity Beach, Cairns
08/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
08/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
08/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
08/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
15/05/2004
Ingleburn
15/05/2004
Ingleburn
08/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
08/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
15/05/2004
Ingleburn
15/05/2004
Ingleburn
15/05/2004
Ingleburn
22/05/2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
29/05/2004
Ingleburn
29/05/2004
Ingleburn
29/05/2004
Ingleburn
29/05/2004
Ingleburn
29/05/2004
Ingleburn
29/05/2004
Ingleburn
Other Common Names
Little Grass-blue, Tiny Grass-blue
Notes
I saw these tiny little things every time I went to the Botanic Gardens in April and May 2004, but only in one small area. They were living around a low-growing shrub, which is used in the Garden to border a particular flower bed.
I presume it is the larval food plant, certainly the butterflies never strayed from this plant at all. They flitted around constantly, and as soon as one landed another one would disturb it – they never seemed to notice me at all! Eventually I was able to get photos of them by waiting for the sun to go behind a cloud. They all disappeared, but when the sun came out again they basked for a little while before recommencing their continual flitting around.
I had presumed that these were a common species – imagine my surprise when I looked them up and found out that they have hardly ever been recorded from Sydney!
I had even more of a surprise the following week, when I took a closer look at the blues in the Recreation Reserve at Ingleburn. I’d seen some very small blues there a number of times, but when I finally took photos of them I found them to also be this species.
I’kept an eye on both colonies. There were plenty of butterflies to be seen in each during April and May, but when I went to the Ingleburn Reserve on the last weekend of May 2004 there were noticeably fewer than previously; perhaps because of the colder nights of the previous few days. I did still see several individuals, and this time I saw them feeding from flowers. I also observed a male attempting to court a female. He landed on the same flower, flashed his wings at her repeatedly, and arched his abdomen at her in a practically obscene manner. She was not impressed, and wanted nothing to do with him, even though he persisted for at least half an hour.
Since 2004 I have not seen this species around Sydney. I saw quite a lot of them around Cairns in May 2010, and again in February 2020, though they were much more interested in fluttering around than in settling, so I didn’t get many photos of them.
Sightings
Ingleburn – April and May 2004
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney – April and May 2004
Cairns – May 2010, February 2020