Greenish Blue

In the female of Greenish Blue the forewing is dim tan with a blue sheen, absolutely close to the base of the wings, and there is a column of weak orange-topped dark spots on the hindwing edge. The upperside in the male is a pale metallic blue, with narrow black borders and a row of dark spots near the margin of the hindwing. In both sexes there is a black spot at the end of the forewing cell and often a smaller black one on the hindwing. The underside in the male is gleaming grey, bluish near the base of the wings; in the female it is darker grey to pale tan.

There are two rows of small black spots on both wings of Greenish Blue. In the hindwing below, there is a partial third row on the wing margin with a trace of orange shading between the second and third rows; one spot in the third row near the anal angle is larger and corresponds to the "thecla" spot in hairstreaks; the spots on the underside tend to be larger and more distinct in females. Wingspan: 21 to 28 mm.

Greenish Blue (Plebejus saepiolus) is found from southern Nova Scotia (one record) to Vancouver Island, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories; in the west its range extends southward in the mountains to Arizona and California. It is absent from Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and southern Ontario. There are seven subspecies but only two occur in Canada. Subspecies insulanus flies on Vancouver Island, and subspecies arnica is found throughout the remainder of the Canadian range.

Posted in: G,Greenish Blue,Lycaenidae