Acmon/lupine blue butterfly nectaring on buckwheat
Acmon and lupine blue butterfly caterpillars are adapted to rely on various wild buckwheats as host plants for their food, and Acmon caterpillars also feed on lupines. Adult butterflies gather nectar from various flowers including western clematis, white forget-me-not, and host buckwheats.
Acmon blues are small, having a wingspan of 3/4 to 1-1/8 inch. The upper wing surface on males is powdery blue while females are brownish. Both males and females have an ornate orange and black-dot arc on their dorsal (upper) hindwing. The ventral hindwing (underside) also has the orange and black-dot arc, with blue scintillae (glittery scales) encircling the black dots. The ventral hindwing is otherwise bluish gray with black spots.
Male acmon/lupine blue butterfly
nectaring on parsnip-flower
buckwheat
Female acmon/lupine blue butterfly
perched on snow
buckwheat - August
Acmon/lupine blue butterfly
crawling deep into snow
buckwheat
Acmon/lupine blue butterfly
nectaring on white
forget-me-not - May
Acmon/lupine blue butterfly
Acmon-Lupine Blue Butterfly
nectaring on snow
buckwheat
