Common blue (silvery blue) butterfly


My wife, a devoted hater of bugs, actually likes butterflies.  The key to this apparent fondness with Lepidoptera is not to look too closely.  I have some great shots that I have taken of them close up and personal; they lose their appeal when any serious magnification is employed.  The above photo is about as close as she likes to get.  She would consider this one pretty.  Go in for a close-up of eyes, tongue, and rostrum - not so much.

The above butterfly belongs to a group called "blues" or sometimes "azures."  I have seen a variety of species within this family (Lycaenidae) and they all are medium-small insects with blue wings and striped antennae.  This particular one is the common blue or silvery-blue butterfly.

Males and females look quite a bit alike although the female is a darker blue with a broader black border around the outside of the underwings.  The one in the photograph is a male (I believe).  I photographed this fellow in June of last year.  They will soon mate and lay eggs on plants belonging to the pea family.  There the young will begin the process of devouring all parts of the plant to reach full size, somewhere in early autumn. 

An interesting note is that these caterpillars are often tended by ants.  They secrete a sugary substance which the ants collect for food.  The relationship is mutualistic in that the ants also protect the young from potential predation.  When it is time for the larvae to pupate they fall to the ground and shed their ecdysis for the last time.  In some species, the pupae may be taken into the colony to overwinter.  

In the early spring, an adult will emerge from its wintery encasement and feed on the nectar of flowering plants until it is time to breed, repeating the cycle.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com




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