Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - butterfly > Butterfly |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Polyommatus bellargus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Rottemburg, 1775) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Fox & Dennis, 2021 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | GB Red List (Fox et al. 2022): VU. 130% increase in abundance since 1979 and a 21% short-term (10 year 2010-2019) increase; 45% long-term decline in distribution since 1980 and a 13% short-term decline (Fox et al. 2023) |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Requires calcareous grassland to be managed as short turf. This management needs to be maintained in order to prevent reversal of recovery. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | As long as sufficient habitat is heavily grazed the Adonis Blue will be present in its landscapes. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Provide specific targeted advice to maintain short sward and abundant host plant on chalk grassland where Adonis Blue occurs and at surrounding sites within landscape to encourage colonisation
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Advice & Support
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 100 sites
High priority sites: downland
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake a status review of distribution and abundance over the last 20 years, to understand the drivers of distribution loss and role of climate change.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.