Pacific Dotted-Blue
Euphilotes enoptes (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside of male is lilac blue with dark borders; female is brown usually with an orange patch on margin of hindwing. Underside of both sexes is off-white with black spots. Those of forewing larger and more squarish than those of hindwing. Orange band on hindwing usually broken into separate spots.
Wing Span: 3/4 - 7/8 inches (1.8 - 2.3 cm).
Life History: Dotted-Blues usually stay near their host plants. Males patrol around the host plants all day to find females. Eggs are laid singly on flowers or buds; caterpillars eat flowers and fruits and are tended by ants. Chrysalids hibernate in leaf litter.
Flight: One flight from mid-May to October depending on host and location.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various Eriogonum species including Nude Buckwheat, Wright\'s Buckwheat, Inflated Buckwheat, and others.
Adult Food: Flower nectar, especially from Eriogonum.
Habitat: Sun-exposed rocky or sandy flats or slopes in foothills, mountains, desert, and along coast.
Range: Scattered distribution throughout the western United States from Washington south through Pacific Coast states to northern Baja California. Also Nevada and northwest Arizona.
Conservation: Smith\'s dotted-blue, Euphilotes enoptes smithi, is endangered because its California coastal habitat is being damaged by increased human activity including housing developments, recreation, and sand mining. Its status in complicated because of the recent description of subspecies arenacola Emmel, Emmel, and Pratt for part of its distribution. Other subspecies from more interior locations may be threatened by invasion of exotic cheatgrass and the eventual fires that often result from such invasion.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Smith\'s dotted-blue has The Nature Conservancy rank of T1,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). Other recently described subspecies have ranks of T1.
Management Needs: Conserve habitats for Smith\'s blue and maintain host plant populations. Determine conservation status of other subspecies.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 457 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dotted_blue2.jpg?itok=oZGY-8ma)
Observation date: Oct 18, 2019
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 20, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0081_8.jpg?itok=drBl6f-t)
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0183_4.jpg?itok=jOPNoPrD)
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/euphilotes061419pinefroad7.3.jpg?itok=lXjB28YI)
Observation date: Jun 14, 2019
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 14, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/kabl1650.jpg?itok=u48b9gcO)
Observation date: May 29, 2019
Submitted by: Scott Burgess
Region: Trinity County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 30, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/kabl1146.jpg?itok=CjpXAmo6)
Observation date: May 23, 2019
Submitted by: Scott Burgess
Region: Trinity County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 29, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/euphilotes061618taylorcanyonne.jpg?itok=QyF8Dfke)
Observation date: Jun 16, 2018
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/euphilotes061818tuolumne.jpg?itok=cyz5O0Ig)
Observation date: Jun 18, 2018
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/dottedblue-foothillspark-2june2018-img_6993cr.jpg?itok=AxqIiTw_)
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 05, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/p62230742_0.jpg?itok=1tm2vFAG)
Observation date: Jun 22, 2017
Submitted by: Bdog
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 22, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/p1050475.jpg?itok=wK2mtfxA)
Observation date: Oct 08, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/p1050457.jpg?itok=rhPKmNSF)
Observation date: Oct 08, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/acmonblue061908shellbeach_2mag.jpg?itok=QxFf3UGt)
Observation date: Jun 19, 2008
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 29, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/p1010053.jpg?itok=A6IRaMWF)
Observation date: Aug 20, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 21, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p9010131.jpg?itok=1W0M1R1v)
Observation date: Sep 01, 2016
Submitted by: Bdog
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 20, 2016
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p8110612.jpg?itok=ppb1o8Cs)
Observation date: Aug 11, 2016
Submitted by: Bdog
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 12, 2016
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_1985_dotted-blue_euphilotes_.jpg?itok=AlOTz3Gz)
Observation date: Jul 30, 2016
Submitted by: TPeterson
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 12, 2016
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p5260302.jpg?itok=wt_0j6hj)
Observation date: May 26, 2016
Submitted by: Bdog
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 28, 2016
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/peterson-female_pacific_dotted-blue_euphilotes_enoptes_ventral.jpg?itok=iu_Z_OQh)
Observation date: Jun 26, 2015
Submitted by: TPeterson
Region: Lassen County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 15, 2015
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/bearmt.jpg?itok=XWfF9nFG)
Observation date: Jul 04, 2014
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Del Norte County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 20, 2014
![](/sites/default/files/no-image-icon-480x360.png)
Observation date: Sep 19, 1978
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
![](/sites/default/files/no-image-icon-480x360.png)
Observation date: Sep 20, 1978
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
![](/sites/default/files/no-image-icon-480x360.png)
Observation date: Oct 04, 1977
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
![](/sites/default/files/no-image-icon-480x360.png)
Observation date: Sep 26, 1978
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
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