Greenish Blue
Plebejus saepiolus (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of male iridescent green-blue; females brown with blue at wing bases. Underside is pale gray with green at wing bases and rows of irregular black spots.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm)
Life History: Males patrol near the host plants, close to the ground. Eggs are laid in flower buds of clover; caterpillars eat the developing flowers. Half-grown caterpillars hibernate, then resume feeding and development the following year.
Flight: One flight from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Flowers of various clovers, especially alsike (Trifolium hybridum).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including clovers (Trifolium species).
Habitat: Bogs, roadsides, stream edges, open fields, meadows, open forests.
Range: Boreal western North America from central Alaska south along mountains to southern California and southwestern New Mexico; east across southern Canada and northern Great Lakes area to Maine.
Conservation: The San Gabriel Blue, an undescribed subspecies, is extinct. It lived in wet meadows of the Big Pine Recreation Area in the San Gabriel mountains of southern California until the U. S. Forest Service drained the meadows. Excluding the San Gabriel Blue, the species 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: Restore meadow habitat in Big Pine Recreation Area.
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 1 - 24 of 896 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: James F Parker
Region: Southeast Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Oct 08, 2024
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: James F Parker
Region: Southeast Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Oct 08, 2024
Observation date: Aug 25, 2024
Submitted by: Lyle R
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 31, 2024
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Huerfano County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Huerfano County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: Jun 18, 2021
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Crook County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Pennington County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jul 31, 2024
Observation date: Jun 21, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 20, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 26, 2024
Submitted by: k.d.stutzman
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 18, 2024
Observation date: Jun 18, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 14, 2024
Observation date: Jun 11, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 12, 2024
Submitted by: butterflies4us
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 20, 2024
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 16, 2024
Observation date: Jun 05, 2024
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
Observation date: May 19, 2024
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 06, 2024
Observation date: May 17, 2024
Submitted by: asabspade
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 20, 2024
Observation date: May 10, 2024
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Feb 14, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2023
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Conejos County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jan 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 06, 2023
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: La Plata County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 09, 2023
Observation date: Jun 10, 2023
Submitted by: CheddahCurt
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Nov 13, 2023
- 1 of 38
- next ›