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.
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 924 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 05, 2001
Submitted by: hank4044
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 30, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: San Miguel County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 14, 2025
Observation date: Jun 22, 2025
Submitted by: bjones7777
Region: Fairbanks North Star, Alaska, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 12, 2025
Observation date: Jun 07, 2025
Submitted by: Kate McKay
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 21, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 04, 2025
Observation date: Jul 20, 2025
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 27, 2025
Observation date: Jul 06, 2025
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 09, 2025
Observation date: Jul 07, 2025
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 09, 2025
Observation date: Jun 23, 2025
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Crook County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 08, 2025
Observation date: Jun 26, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 29, 2025
Observation date: May 18, 1986
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Douglas County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 23, 2025
Observation date: Jun 14, 2025
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 23, 2025
Observation date: Jun 20, 2025
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 22, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 17, 2025
Observation date: Jun 17, 2025
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jun 17, 2025
Observation date: Jun 15, 2025
Submitted by: Kate McKay
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 16, 2025
Observation date: Jun 12, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 15, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 14, 2025
Observation date: Jun 04, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 08, 2025
Observation date: Jun 04, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 08, 2025
Observation date: May 22, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Plumas County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 29, 2025
Observation date: May 05, 2025
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 07, 2025
Observation date: May 05, 2025
Submitted by: TomPeterson
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 07, 2025
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 14, 2025
- 1 of 39
- next ›