Mircea V.
Silvery Blue Butterfly -Visit Lotus corniculatus
Silvery blue butterfly caterpillars have a special structure known as a "honey gland," which secretes a sweet substance that attracts ants to feed on it. In what is known as a symbiotic relationship (meaning that both species benefit), the ants tend the caterpillars, protecting them from predators.
The silvery blue prefers habitat in open woodlands and fields, coastal dunes, prairies, meadows and roadsides. According to Butterflies of Canada, silvery blues are often seen feeding at flowers or resting on the ground in damp spots.
Identification: Upperside of male iridescent silvery blue with narrow dark borders; female darker blue with wide borders. Both sexes have white fringe. Underside gray-brown; both wings with row of white-ringed, round black spots. Subspecies xerces (Boisduval) and pseudoxerces Emmel and Emmel have large white spots with or without black centers.
Silvery Blue Butterfly -Visit Lotus corniculatus
Silvery blue butterfly caterpillars have a special structure known as a "honey gland," which secretes a sweet substance that attracts ants to feed on it. In what is known as a symbiotic relationship (meaning that both species benefit), the ants tend the caterpillars, protecting them from predators.
The silvery blue prefers habitat in open woodlands and fields, coastal dunes, prairies, meadows and roadsides. According to Butterflies of Canada, silvery blues are often seen feeding at flowers or resting on the ground in damp spots.
Identification: Upperside of male iridescent silvery blue with narrow dark borders; female darker blue with wide borders. Both sexes have white fringe. Underside gray-brown; both wings with row of white-ringed, round black spots. Subspecies xerces (Boisduval) and pseudoxerces Emmel and Emmel have large white spots with or without black centers.