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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 896 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2021
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2021
Submitted by: hmseiver
Region: Sanders County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 28, 2021
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 23, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2021
Observation date: Jun 22, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Mariposa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 20, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 20, 2021
Observation date: Jun 21, 2009
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: May 10, 2021
Observation date: Jul 19, 2008
Submitted by: johnsora
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: Dec 15, 2020
Observation date: Jun 15, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Conejos County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 14, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 22, 2020
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 20, 2020
Observation date: Jul 02, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 13, 2020
Observation date: Jun 29, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 12, 2020
Observation date: May 27, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 03, 2020
Observation date: Jul 04, 2020
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Custer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: Sep 22, 2020
Observation date: Jun 06, 2016
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: RaisingButterfl...
Verified date: Sep 21, 2020
Observation date: Jun 12, 2020
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 11, 2020
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