Butterflies of Tucson, Arizona
This guide provides an overview of the butterflies that live in and around Tucson, Arizona. Skippers are not covered here, there are so many of them that they deserve their own field guide. There are 5 families of "true" butterflies: Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Lycaenidae, includes ...more ↓
Spring Azure Blue
The Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in North America from Alaska and Canada south of the tundra through most of the United States except the Texas coast, southern plain and peninsular Florida; south in the mountains to Colombia.
Lupine Blue
The Lupine Blue (Aricia lupini) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found from south-western Canada, south through much of mountainous and intermountain west and high plains to northern Mexico.
Reakirt's Blue
The Reakirt's Blue (Hemiargus isola) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Central America and the extreme southern U.S., isola migrates regularly throughout most of the U.S. almost to the Canadian border, and very rarely into the southern Prairies.
Western Pygmy Blue
The Western Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis or Brephidium exile) is one of the smallest butterflies in the world and is the smallest in North America. It has a wingspread of about half an inch.
Ceraunus Blue
Hemiargus ceraunus, the Ceraunus Blue, is a butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in the south-western United States, southern Texas, Florida and the Florida Keys south through the West Indies, Mexico and Central America to South America. Strays may be found in North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas and Nevada. The habitat consists of open woodland, desert scrub, ...more ↓
Marine Blue
The Marine Blue or Striped Blue (Leptotes marina) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in from South America through Mexico up to Southern Texas, Arizona and California.
Eastern Tailed-Blue
The Eastern Tailed-blue or Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas), also known as Everes comyntas, is a common butterfly of eastern North America. Males are generally blue on the upperside of their wings while females are lighter blue to brown or charcoal in coloring, but there are also varieties of purple and pink found in both sexes. The underside coloration ranges ...more ↓
Gray Hairstreak
The Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent.
Mariposa alas de telaraña
Ministrymon leda is a little species of hairstreak resident in patchy distribution to the south western United States and into northern Mexico, and migratory in some parts of its range (Scott 1986). Habitats are lower Sonoran zone desert thorn forest. Host plants are trees restricted to Prosopis juliflora var. torreyana (Leguminosae). with most known hosts from X. ...more ↓
Great Purple Hairstreak
The Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus), also called the great blue hairstreak, is a common North American butterfly. The larvae (Caterpillars) feed on mistletoe (Phoradendron) species.
Brown Elfin
The Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus) is butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in from Newfoundland north and west through the northern United States and the prairie provinces to Alaska. To the south it ranges in Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and northern Subspecies iroides is known as the Western Elfin.
