Melissa Blue (includes Karner Blue)
Plebejus melissa (W.H. Edwards, 1873)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of male blue with narrow dark border; female brown with blue tinge. Underside with continuous black line along outer margin of both wings. Red-orange submarginal row is continuous in subspecies melissa and divided into separate spots in subspecies samuelis (Karner Blue).
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.2 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Males patrol near host plants for females. Eggs are laid on assorted parts of the host plant or on nearby debris. Caterpillars eat young leaves and are tended by ants who feed on the caterpillars' sugary secretions.
Flight: Two broods from May-August for the Karner Blue (subspecies samuelis) in the East; three broods from April-October for subspecies melissa in the West.
Caterpillar Hosts: Lupine (Lupinus perennis) for the Karner Blue. The western population feeds on various legumes of the pea family including Astragalus, Glycyrrhiza, Lotus, Lupinus, and Medicago species.
Adult Food:
Habitat: Karner Blue (subspecies samuelis) inhabits sandy pine prairies, barrens, and lakeshore dunes in the east. Subspecies melissa is found in the west in open, weedy areas and prairies.
Range: The small, isolated colonies of the Eastern population (subspecies samuelis) occur from southern New Hampshire and central New York west to Wisconsin. The western population (subspecies melissa) is found in the Intermountain West from Canada to Baja California, plains, and prairies east to northwestern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota.
Conservation: The Karner Blue is eradicated or endangered in several states and has The Nature Conservancy rank of T2 - Imperiled because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range).
NCGR:
Management Needs: Proper management is needed for Karner Blue habitats.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1193 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: Jessica Howell
Region: Rosebud County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 24, 2024
Observation date: Jun 23, 2024
Submitted by: Lyle R
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: chirpus
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
Observation date: Jun 18, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
Observation date: Jun 14, 2024
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 15, 2024
Observation date: Jun 13, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 14, 2024
Observation date: Jun 06, 2024
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 07, 2024
Observation date: May 04, 2024
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Barton County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 03, 2024
Observation date: May 17, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 25, 2024
Observation date: May 11, 2024
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 11, 2024
Observation date: Sep 21, 2023
Submitted by: PONYRCR
Region: Pennington County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 05, 2024
Observation date: May 14, 2023
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 31, 2024
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Roberts County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 18, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Day County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 18, 2024
Observation date: Oct 07, 2023
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jan 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 04, 2023
Observation date: Jun 12, 2023
Submitted by: MJKrotzer
Region: Apache County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 08, 2023
Observation date: Sep 04, 2023
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Catron County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 12, 2023
Observation date: Sep 27, 2023
Submitted by: Lara Bryan
Region: Yankton County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 02, 2023
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