I have seen quite a few of these little Eastern-tailed Blue (Lycaenidae) butterflies in and around the yard lately, mostly around the blooming clover and the wild sweetpeas on a sunny slope near the woods.
They are such pretty little things, and so hard to get a photo of with their wings completely open. From the side, they resemble the Spring Azures, but with wings open they have a gorgeous iridescent blue color, with one to three bright orange spots near the base of their tail on the hindwing, and one or two orange spots on their forewing. These are summer females with grayish-blue color, not quite as pretty as this bright blue male I captured last summer.
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Iridescent blue male
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Summer female, Eastern-tailed Blue
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Females – click any photo to view larger
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What spectacular butterflies! I have never seen them before.
Hi Louise. They are very common here in mid to late summer. Very spectacular when their wings are open and the bright blue is exposed.
Thanks for visiting.
Only a few times have I seen something similar here; a very small, vibrantly blue butterfly which made my heart nearly stop it was so lovely. Wonderful photo, Sherry. You must be off on a trip.
Hi Christine, yes I have been away for quite a while. Oh, I love seeing that bright flash of blue — love these little butterflies. :)
Excellent site, keep up the good work
Terrific images. Beautiful little butterfly that is easily overlooked.
Thank you, Scott. They are definitely easily overlooked, and so hard to capture with their wings open!