Eastern Tailed Blue - Cupido comyntas
Eastern Tailed Blue - Cupido comyntas – is a native butterfly that is very common in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, scarcer and more localized in the western U.S. and Mexico and south to Costa Rica. It often visits flowers in gardens, parks, roadsides, forest paths, and meadows and is frequently seen on lawns. It flies spring to fall and often produces 3 broods. It is the only tailed blue butterfly (tribe Polyommatini) in the east, though the tails may be short or missing on worn individuals. The hindwing has one to three orange spots near the base of the tail. The male is bright blue above, the female mostly blackish blue with blue basally in the spring. Both have one or two orange spots near the tail when seen from above. 23-28 mm wingspan in United States; 16-26 mm in Canada. Tribe Polyommatini are all very small butterflies, mostly blue above though the females of many species are browner. In general the fieldmarks of these species are on the underside of their wings. They tend to fly slow, with lots of up-and-down fluttering. They may rub their hindwings together while perched. Males often gather in “puddle parties” around wet soil. Larval foodplants include the flowers and seeds of many legumes including White Clover (Trifolium repens), Red Clover (T. pratense), and Cow Vetch (Vicia cracca). . Males patrol near the host plants during daylight hours. Females lay eggs on flower buds; caterpillars eat buds, flowers, and seeds. This butterfly has a low flight and a short proboscis, thus is found at flowers close to the ground which are open or short-tubed. These include white sweet clover, shepherd's needle, wild strawberry, winter cress, cinquefoils, asters, and others. Unlike most butterflies, this species has thrived where its habitat has been encroached upon by human activities. It is common along freshly mowed roadsides, flying to puddles. Western Tailed Blue (Cupido amyntula) is larger, has fewer wing markings, and is paler beneath. It occurs throughout most of the western half of North America. This is the only other species of this genus in the New World though 16 additional species can be found in the old world. Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman, Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Cupido-comyntas bugguide.net/node/view/270 bugguide.net/node/view/464
Eastern Tailed Blue - Cupido comyntas
Eastern Tailed Blue - Cupido comyntas – is a native butterfly that is very common in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, scarcer and more localized in the western U.S. and Mexico and south to Costa Rica. It often visits flowers in gardens, parks, roadsides, forest paths, and meadows and is frequently seen on lawns. It flies spring to fall and often produces 3 broods. It is the only tailed blue butterfly (tribe Polyommatini) in the east, though the tails may be short or missing on worn individuals. The hindwing has one to three orange spots near the base of the tail. The male is bright blue above, the female mostly blackish blue with blue basally in the spring. Both have one or two orange spots near the tail when seen from above. 23-28 mm wingspan in United States; 16-26 mm in Canada. Tribe Polyommatini are all very small butterflies, mostly blue above though the females of many species are browner. In general the fieldmarks of these species are on the underside of their wings. They tend to fly slow, with lots of up-and-down fluttering. They may rub their hindwings together while perched. Males often gather in “puddle parties” around wet soil. Larval foodplants include the flowers and seeds of many legumes including White Clover (Trifolium repens), Red Clover (T. pratense), and Cow Vetch (Vicia cracca). . Males patrol near the host plants during daylight hours. Females lay eggs on flower buds; caterpillars eat buds, flowers, and seeds. This butterfly has a low flight and a short proboscis, thus is found at flowers close to the ground which are open or short-tubed. These include white sweet clover, shepherd's needle, wild strawberry, winter cress, cinquefoils, asters, and others. Unlike most butterflies, this species has thrived where its habitat has been encroached upon by human activities. It is common along freshly mowed roadsides, flying to puddles. Western Tailed Blue (Cupido amyntula) is larger, has fewer wing markings, and is paler beneath. It occurs throughout most of the western half of North America. This is the only other species of this genus in the New World though 16 additional species can be found in the old world. Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman, Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Cupido-comyntas bugguide.net/node/view/270 bugguide.net/node/view/464