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Project Noah Nature School
Eryngium amethystinum
The plant on the photo is Eryngium amethystinum, a clump-forming, perennial, tap-rooted herb. Its stem is 30 - 50 cm long and is light blue to purple in color. It has a basal circle of obovate, pinnate, spiny, leathery, mid-green leaves. It flowers in mid to late summer with cylindrical umbels, 2 - 3 cm long atop silvery blue bracts and branching stems. Little butterfly on the 1st photo belongs to the species of lat. Coenonympha pamphilus (Small Heath / Mali okaš). For this butterfly is known that is It is widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa, preferring drier habitats than other Coenonymphae. The larval host plants are grasses, notably Sheep's Fescue and rough meadow grass Poa trivialis.
The plant is native to the eastern Mediterranean and prefers dry places and soils that are rich in calcium (rocks in that area are predominately CaCO3 compositions). Butterfly prefers well-drained meadow and steppe habitats. In the mountains it reaches the subalpine zone (1 500-2 000 m above sea level).
Spotted on Oct 8, 2010
Submitted on Apr 3, 2013
