Brown Elfin
Callophrys augustinus (Westwood, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: No tails. Upperside of male gray-brown; female reddish brown. Underside chestnut brown with dark, irregular postmedian line; hindwing darker at base.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males perch on shrubs in open areas to watch for females. Eggs are laid singly on flower buds of host plants; caterpillars feed on flowers and fruits. Pupation takes place in litter at the base of the host plant; chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from May-July in the north, March-April in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: In the East, members of the heath family (Ericaceae), including sugar huckleberry (Vaccinium vacillans) and Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum). In the west, many other plants including madrone (Arbutus) and dodder (Cuscuta).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including blueberry, footsteps-of-spring, spicebush, willow, winter cress, and wild plum.
Habitat: Mixed conifer woods, barrens, bogs, sandy coasts, chaparral.
Range: Newfoundland north and west through northern United States and the prairie provinces to Alaska; south in Appalachians to northern Georgia and northern Alabama; south through western mountains to northern Baja California. Does not occur on the plains or in the Midwest.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Callophrys augustus
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 1951 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 26, 2023
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 09, 2023
Observation date: May 03, 2023
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 05, 2023
Observation date: Apr 29, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 30, 2023
Observation date: Apr 27, 2023
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Apr 28, 2023
Observation date: Apr 08, 2023
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 22, 2023
Observation date: May 19, 2017
Submitted by: B. Newhouse
Region: Jefferson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 21, 2023
Observation date: Mar 18, 2023
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 19, 2023
Observation date: Feb 20, 2023
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 21, 2023
Observation date: Feb 17, 2023
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 20, 2023
Observation date: May 29, 2021
Submitted by: CheddahCurt
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 10, 2023
Observation date: May 11, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 23, 2022
Observation date: May 11, 2019
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: May 24, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Baraga County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 31, 2022
Observation date: May 23, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Schoolcraft County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 31, 2022
Observation date: May 27, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Marquette County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 31, 2022
Observation date: Jun 01, 1986
Submitted by: James Steen
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 16, 2022
Observation date: Jun 11, 2022
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 02, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2022
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 28, 2022
Observation date: Jun 22, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 27, 2022
Observation date: Mar 29, 2022
Submitted by: k.d.stutzman
Region: Sevier County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 13, 2022
Observation date: Apr 01, 2022
Submitted by: AJ Trently
Region: Rhea County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 13, 2022
Observation date: Apr 09, 2022
Submitted by: Chris Tosdevin
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 11, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2022
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: May 25, 2022
Submitted by: Breck Breckenridge
Region: Island County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 26, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 3 of 82
- next ›