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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 758 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 04, 2011
Submitted by: tirvine2020
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Dec 19, 2019
Observation date: Jul 15, 2009
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 19, 2019
Observation date: Sep 02, 2019
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Oct 06, 2019
Observation date: Jul 04, 2019
Submitted by: yahk
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 21, 2019
Observation date: Sep 08, 2019
Submitted by: Team Kweeper
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 10, 2019
Observation date: Aug 01, 2019
Submitted by: 4oclockwatch
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 22, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Team Kweeper
Region: Plumas County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 06, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Team Kweeper
Region: Plumas County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 06, 2019
Observation date: Jul 23, 2019
Submitted by: Thomlinson
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Yakima County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Yakima County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 25, 2019
Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sierra County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 15, 2019
Observation date: Jun 23, 2019
Submitted by: Diane R Halpin
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 26, 2019
Observation date: Jun 15, 2019
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 16, 2019
Observation date: Jun 11, 2019
Submitted by: