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 121 - 144 of 896 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 29, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Modoc County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2020
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: Modoc County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2020
Observation date: Jul 10, 2020
Submitted by: Harry Forbes
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 27, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2013
Submitted by: kd_reno
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 08, 2020
Submitted by: Brush_lady
Region: Union County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 17, 2020
Observation date: Jun 30, 2020
Submitted by: Brush_lady
Region: Union County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 01, 2020
Observation date: Jun 30, 2020
Submitted by: Brush_lady
Region: Union County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 01, 2020
Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: AaronB
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 30, 2020
Observation date: Jun 11, 2020
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Plumas County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 20, 2020
Observation date: Jun 27, 2019
Submitted by: bshettler
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jun 17, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2007
Submitted by: Jay Cossey
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jun 17, 2020
Observation date: Jun 04, 2020
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 08, 2020
Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Teller County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jun 06, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: anneepierce
Region: Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
Observation date: May 28, 2020
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Gilpin County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 30, 2020
Observation date: Jun 29, 2017
Submitted by: AaronB
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Apr 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Lake County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Apr 11, 2020
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Feb 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 28, 2020
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 27, 2020
Observation date: Jun 27, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 27, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2018
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 26, 2020
Observation date: Jun 02, 2019
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 26, 2020
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