Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Summary 7
The Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) is a small butterfly native to North America. Upperside is a light blue in males, a dull grayish blue in females. Underside is gray with single row of round spots of differing sizes depending upon region.
North american ecology (us and canada) 8
Resident across northern and western North America, with isolated populations in the central/southern/eastern US (Scott 1986). Habitats are coastal dunes, moist prairie, open woodland from northern lower austral zone to the edge of the arctic/alpine tundra. Host plants are usually herbaceous or shrubs and include many species, but mostly in one family, Leguminosae. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly. Larvae are tended by ants. Individuals overwinter as pupae. There are is one flight each year with the approximate flight times MAR15-MAY15 in N. Calif.; MAY15-JULY15 further north and in high altitudes; Feb1-Apr30 in S. Calif. and Mar30-Apr30 in GA (Scott 1986).
Sources and Credits
- (c) Brad Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/57402879@N00/177095078/
- (c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2009_04_29/IMG_000666.JPG
- (c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2009_04_29/IMG_000667.JPG
- (c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2009_05_01/IMG_000972.JPG
- (c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2009_05_01/IMG_000969.JPG
- (c) Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/specimen_images/ent-lepidoptera/images/2009_04_29/IMG_000646.JPG
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucopsyche_lygdamus
- (c) Leslie Ries, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/19605940
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
