Aricia saepiolus
Encyclopedia
The Greenish Blue is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found from northwestern United States
to southern Saskatchewan
and Alberta
.
The wingspan
is 21–28 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.
The larvae feed on Trifolium repens, Trifolium hybridum
, Trifolium monathum, Trifolium longipes
, and Trifolium wormskioldii
.
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found from northwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to southern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 21–28 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.
The larvae feed on Trifolium repens, Trifolium hybridum
Trifolium hybridum
Trifolium hybridum, alsike clover, is a plant species of the genus Trifolium in the pea family Fabaceae. The stalked, pale pink or whitish flower head grows from the leaf axils, and the trifoliate leaves are unmarked. The plant is tall, and is found in fields and on roadsides – it is also...
, Trifolium monathum, Trifolium longipes
Trifolium longipes
Trifolium longipes is a species of clover known by the common name longstalk clover. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in many types of habitat. There are many subtaxa which occur in different regions and differ slightly in appearance...
, and Trifolium wormskioldii
Trifolium wormskioldii
The legume Trifolium wormskioldii is a species of clover native to the western half of North America. Its common names include cow clover, coast clover and springbank clover...
.
Subspecies
- A. s. hilda (J. & R. Grinnel, 1907)
- A. s. insulanus (Blackmore, 1919)
- A. s. amica Edwards, 1863
- A. s. gertschi (dos Passos, 1938)
- A. s. whitmeri (Brown, 1951)
- A. s. aureolus Emmel & Mattoon, 1998
External links
- Greenish Blue, Butterflies and Moths of North America