Northern Blue
Plebejus idas (Linnaeus, 1761)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside of male iridescent blue, female brown with orange submarginal spots. Below, hindwing has a thin black line along outer margin which is broken into small dots at vein ends. Can be positively identified only by dissection of male genitalia and by locality.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/2 inches (2.2 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Males patrol near host plants for females. Eggs are laid singly on stems of host plant or in debris beneath it. Second-stage caterpillars overwinter.
Flight: One brood from July-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants of the heath family (Ericaceae) in the east; legumes of the pea family (Fabaceae) in the west.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including yarrow; dogbane; orange hawkweed; and white, alsike, and hop clover.
Habitat: Openings in mixed evergreen forests, bogs, wet meadows, seeps.
Range: Holarctic. Nova Scotia west through the Great Lakes area and southern Canada; north to Alaska; south to central California, southern Idaho, and southwest Colorado.
Conservation: Subspecies lotis is probably naturally rare with low population densities; it is found currently in only 1 out of 7 of its historic sites. Successional changes in vegetation due to human disturbance choked out the host plant Lotus formosissimus. Subspecies lotis has The Nature Conservancy rank of T1 - Critically imperiled because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences, or very few remaining individuals), or because of some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable to extinction. (Critically endangered throughout its range). The species as a whole has The Nature Conservancy Global Rank of G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
NCGR:
Management Needs: The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery plan for the Lotis Blue cites the need for basic biological and ecological information about this butterfly. Three steps to recovery are listed: 1) protect remaining habitat and butterflies at the only known population site, 2) establish 3 new populations at different sites, and 3) determine the extent of the population and the size of secure habitats needed.
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 224 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 27, 2017
Submitted by: RobertWeeden
Region: Fairbanks North Star, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Jul 10, 2017
Submitted by: KayCarter
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Aug 05, 2017
Submitted by: frogbandit
Region: Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Aug 14, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Christensen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: Claire Christensen
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Jul 28, 2017
Submitted by: chirpus
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 14, 2017
Observation date: Jul 09, 2016
Submitted by: kmelville
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: PDeGennaro
Verified date: Dec 26, 2016
Observation date: Jul 09, 2015
Submitted by: MTmariposa
Region: Missoula County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Sep 20, 2016
Observation date: Jul 05, 2016
Submitted by: janazak
Region: Yukon Territory, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 26, 2016
Observation date: Jun 24, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Feb 11, 2016
Observation date: Jul 07, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Feb 11, 2016
Observation date: Jul 23, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Feb 11, 2016
Observation date: Jul 01, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Feb 11, 2016
Observation date: Jul 22, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Feb 11, 2016
Observation date: Jun 21, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Feb 11, 2016
Observation date: Jun 29, 2015
Submitted by: nickenew
Region: Fairbanks North Star, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Aug 15, 2015
Observation date: Jul 08, 2015
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 28, 2015
Observation date: Jul 02, 2015
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 11, 2015
Observation date: Jul 02, 2015
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 11, 2015
Observation date: Aug 10, 2014
Submitted by: Indy Entomologist
Region: Yukon-Koyukuk, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Mar 21, 2015
Observation date: Aug 03, 2011
Submitted by: Indy Entomologist
Region: Yukon-Koyukuk, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Mar 21, 2015
Observation date: Jul 21, 2014
Submitted by: janazak
Region: Yukon Territory, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 27, 2014
Observation date: Jul 21, 2014
Submitted by: janazak
Region: Yukon Territory, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 27, 2014
Observation date: Aug 02, 2014
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 10, 2014
- ‹ previous
- 3 of 10
- next ›