Description ²

Our plainest elfin, never showing large amounts of white or strong patterning. Brown to reddish brown wings, darker toward the base of the forewing, with scattered purple scales on fresh individuals. Does not show any "frosting" on wings. Typically found close to the ground. Our most common and widely distributed elfin species, and it can turn up in nearly any open habitat but prefers the barrens conditions of Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, where it can be quite common. Lowbush blueberry appears to be the usual, perhaps the only larval host on Martha's Vineyard. Extreme dates April 5 through July 25; the latter date, fide Allan Keith, is highly unusual, but finding worn individuals well into June is normal. Often on the wing by mid-April with numbers typically peaking in late April and the first half of May.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Pelikan
2. Adapted by Matt Pelikan from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callophrys_augustinus

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Mass Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

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