Habitat: Open, often disturbed areas, prairie Despite differences between species, though, all caterpillars [17] [18] Caterpillar hosts include plants in the legume family, including White Clover, Red Clover, and Cow Vetch. Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (26 May 2012). Although all the Blues may do some puddling, this species seems to be more prone to congregating in groups at moist areas along ponds and streams. A butterfly garden is simply a flower garden that is designed to include nectar-rich flowers that butterflies love to visit. View Eastern Tailed Blue butterflies, caterpillars, pupa, chrysalis and life cycle pictures. The beautiful Eastern Tailed-Blue seen here was photographed recently by Kelson Wellons. The underside of the hindwing is pale gray with a black bar and distinct black spots as well as three large orange spots at the outer margin near the tail. It is a small butterfly that is distinguished from other blues in its range by the small thin tail. Eastern Tailed Blues are common butterflies at our farm in Wisconsin. After hatching, the caterpillars hibernate during winter. Chrysalis: Pellet-shaped. I’ve shown Eastern Tailed-blue butterflies before, but this is a pretty good photograph to see how it got it’s name. Caterpillars come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. By providing the right mix of flowers, shelter, water, and sun it is easy to attract and sustain butterfly populations so they feel at home. Many people provide Eastern Tailed-Blues with habitat without ever realizing it. Underside white with black spots indistinct or lacking; single small orange spot near tail. This sugary liquid attracts ants that protect the caterpillar from predators. Eastern Tailed Blue. Eastern Tailed-blue (Everes comyntas) The Eastern Tailed-blue is a small butterfly, with the male being a cobalt blue and the female a slate gray color. Female’s wings larger with longer tails, gray above on body and wings, 2 or 3 small orange spots with black dots near margin of hindwings. The Eastern Tailed-Blue butterfly (Cupido comyntas) is named for the iridescent blue color of its upper wing surface, more vivid in the male, and for the short, thread-like tail on each hind wing. Blues spend the warm months in fields, gardens, streamsides and open woods. Although most Lycaenids do not perch with open wings, Eastern Tailed-Blues sometimes bask with their wings at a 45 angle. The caterpillar of the Eastern-Tailed Blue Butterfly feeds on the leaves of flowering plants and a variety of bean plants. Insects are typically drawn to areas by available food supply, weather, environmental factors, water supply, mating patterns etc... and are quite territorial. The records analyzed here are only a beginning. For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above. while others are smooth. According to BugGuide: “male’s wings above iridescent pale blue with brownish-gray along outer margin; forewings with a short oblique black bar near middle; hindwings with a row of submarginal black spots and a small orange spot at the base of each projecting tail. The eastern tailed-blue or eastern tailed blue (Cupido comyntas), also known as Everes comyntas, is a common butterfly of eastern North America. Lupines (Lupinus perennis), American and Carolina Vetch (Vicia americana and V. Caroliniana), That is our best guess at this time. glutinosum, D. illinoense, D. nudiflorum) note: caterpillars overwinter in the seed pods. The caterpillar of the CGA has adapted to feeding on the nipple galls created by eriophyid mites (of previous BOTW fame) on cherry leaves. Papilio polyxenes, the (eastern) black swallowtail, American swallowtail or parsnip swallowtail, is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. Its flowers also provide nectar for a variety of butterflies. The butterfly feeds on flowers close to the ground like clover, shepherd's needle, wild strawberry, winter cress, cinquefoils, and asters. Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right. Females are often slate grey, sometimes with vivid blue coloration close to the body. University of South Florida, Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA). There is one narrow tail on the hindwing. Take this quick quiz and see how much you know about caterpillars. Males sometimes congregate in large groups to seek nutrients from damp soil. The caterpillar is wide, ... Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly (Lycaenidae: Cupido comyntas) Worn Female Carl Barrentine : About Published on May 27, 2012. It can often be found in open grassy spaces such as sunny fields and pastures. Although all the Blues may do some puddling, this species seems to be more prone to Possibly Eastern Tailed Blue. An extremely similar-appearing species, Papilio joanae, occurs in the Ozark Mountains region, but it appears to be closely related to Papilio machaon, rather than P. polyxenes. and vetches (Vicia spp.) Males patrol near hostplants during the day. Laid singly, often on or near buds of host. Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis), also called Blue Wild Indigo, and other plants of this genus are potential food plants for Silver-spotted Skipper caterpillars. This quiz is intended for fun, in Some caterpillars are quite hairy, Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly – Cupido comyntasLive butterflies photographed in the wild at Winfield, Illinois Family Lycaenidae / Subfamily: Polyommatinae (Blues)Butterfly Main | Skippers | Butterfly Index This is a very small butterfly – with wings closed, in profile, about the size of a U.S. dime. In fact, the tails for which they are named are fragile, and wear-and-tear renders many tailed blues tail-less. Egg: Pale green, flattened disc. The upperside of males is iridescent blue; summer females are uniformly brown, spring females are smaller with much blue at the wing bases. Although most Lycaenids do not perch with open wings, Eastern Tailed Blue sometimes bask with their wings at a 45 degree angle. Baptisia hosts eastern tailed blue caterpillars. They secrete a substance that is attractive to certain types of ants, and these … congregating in groups at moist areas along ponds and streams. With the wings up, this looks like a mostly-white butterfly, but with the wings down you can see why this is a blue butterfly (even if you could detect a purplish tint in there). Both the butterflies and the caterpillars are fairly common, but they’re small and well camouflaged, so … Butterflies take flight in spring and summer. The larva of the Eastern Tailed-Blue is hairy, dark green or various shades of brown to pale yellow, with dark dorsal stripe and a brown head. Learning about the eastern tailed-blue puts you into a special category of people who love nature! The eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) is another common small blue butterfly, but it has a tail on each hindwing and at least one crescent orange spot on the outer edge of the hindwing. ETB flight is weak and fluttery, and these tiny butterflies generally stay close to the ground. The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. immature form to an adult bitterfly. Some of the food plants on which the Silver-spotted Skipper caterpillars depend are especially garden-worthy. Larvae overwinter, pupating the following spring. are reported in throughout the range. Caterpillar: Caterpillars are variable in color: may be green; green and red; mostly red. I see them throughout the warm moths – from May until September. The caterpillars are flat and slow moving. Less-than-manicured garden edges, alleyways, and natural lawns are often abundant with the small pea-family plants that provide their tiny caterpillars with food. Tailed blues have a narrow tail and orange lunule on the hindwing, like a hairstreak butterfly-- a false head that fakes-out birds and boosts survival rate. Native to Howard County, it will emerge in the spring and pupate. The eastern tailed blue caterpillar eats a variety of plants in the pea family including cow vetch, clover, alfalfa, and wild pea. © 2020 - Butterfly Atlas, Butterflies and caterpillars (the larval stage in the butterfly life cycle) provide food for birds and other organisms, pollinate flowers, and are easy to attract to a garden or backyard landscape. These plants have been documented as hosts in Alabama but other pea family memebers are probably used as well. The tails of the Eastern Tailed Blue (Everes comyntas) are not visible in flight. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. Description: Caterpillar: Caterpillars are variable in color, often green to brown with a row of dots or a stripe on the sides, and hairy. Body is covered with fine white hairs. Upperside of male blue, female brown with blue at wing base. It is the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey. The females lay eggs on a variety of leguminous plants like vetch and clover for the caterpillars to eat. Several generations occur, and populations build as the summer progresses. palustris), Veiny Pea (Lathyrus venosus), and Tick Trefoils (Desmodium canadense, D. Ecosystem connections: The caterpillars are herbivores that graze on vegetation. Females lay eggs on flower buds and caterpillars eat buds, flowers, and seeds. How does this magic happen? Caterpillars are the overwintering stage. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period. The females lay their eggs on plants in the Pea Family – I almost always find caterpillars when I check out the flowers of Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata). They are the most commonly encountered Blue in Alabama, and the only one with tails. Eastern Tailed-Blue. I like This. The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Both sexes are attracted to small, low-growing flowers. Eastern tailed blues are legume specialists. Also, while azures are frequently seen among the leaves of trees, the … Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston, View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names. 7/31/2006 . Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000. Color varies: may be whitish green with darker head and thorax; dark green; tan. Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1¾ inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm). Throughout most of the state, Eastern Tailed-Blues are familiar sights in fields, pastures, roadsides and other open, sunny areas. ETB flight is weak and fluttery, and these tiny butterflies generally stay close to the ground. commonly seen Blue in the state. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred. As a caterpillar, it eats buds, flowers, and seeds, and secretes a substance called honeydew. Identify butterflies and caterpillars by viewing photos. Their flight is very quick and erratic, looping and […] The Long-tailed Blue is an exotic migrant from the Mediterranean with a handful typically reaching UK shores each year, but experts believe climate change is behind this butterfly reaching our shores more regularly and in vastly increased numbers. Butterflies are found throughout North Carolina and will flourish within a well-designed landscape of native plants in both rural and urban areas. This butterfly species overwinters in the caterpillar stage by crawling into a seed pod. I have seen a lot of eastern tailed blue butterflies lately, like the one above. The Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly is found in the Eastern U.S., Central America, Canadian regions, and a bit around Washington, Oregon, and California. It is found throughout the state from May though October. Eastern Tailed Blue butterflies (Cupido comyntas) have a different approach. Comments: The Eastern Tailed Blue is the most commonly seen Blue in the state. a random-facts-can-be-cool kind of way. With the wings up, this looks like a mostly-white butterfly, but with the wings down you can see why this is a blue butterfly (even if you could detect a purplish tint in there). A wide variety of open, disturbed sites including roadsides, pastures, and even yards. The average, full-grown length of the caterpillar is 1/2 inch. Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus), White Pea (Lathyrus ochroleucus), Marsh Pea (Lathyrus Its caterpillars eat into its host pod, sealing the hole with silk, consume the legume seeds and overwinter in the pod. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com. These areas often contain small flowering plants like clover, frogfruit, and violets that provide nectar sources for many small butterflies, including Eastern Tailed-Blues. Hi Susan, Have you entertained the possibility that this might be an Eastern Tailed Blue which is pictured on BugGuide. Sometimes the ants will defend the caterpillar even after it pupates. Comments: The Eastern Tailed Blue is the most There is a dorsal stripe and lateral lines. The caterpillar hibernates, pupating the following spring. General Characteristics Capability, Shape, Texture/Pattern, Benefits, Dangers The ideal garden is one that supports both the adults and larvae, by offering a wide variety plants, grasses, and wildflowers. 8/6/2006 Mated pair . restorations, and city parks. Adult eastern tailed-blue butterflies like open areas with plenty of light. Host Plants: Legumes (Fabaceae) including Wild The head is black. Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm). Learn about metamorphosis - the process of transformation from an Here’s an Eastern Tailed Blue caterpillar on the flower head of Round-headed Bush Clover. The Alabama Butterfly Atlas (ABA) collects, interprets, and shares information about Alabama's butterfly populations for the purpose of education and conservation. Family:Lycaenidae Family Description: Alternate Common Name: Tailed Blue. Eastern Tailed-blue I’ve shown Eastern Tailed-blue butterflies before, but this is a pretty good photograph to see how it got it’s name. Females lay eggs on flower buds; caterpillars eat buds, flowers, and seeds. Its vivid purplish-blue flowers are primarily pollinated by Bumble Bees, but they are visited by other insects as well. Eastern tailed blue (Everes comyntas): Butterflies present May-August." Eastern Tailed Blue Caterpillar a4.pbase.com Mature larvae can be of various colors ranging from light tan or gray to green and pinkish olive. Note: Please understand that that insects do not adhere to man-drawn borders on a map as such they may be found beyond the general "reach" as showcased on our website. Orange chevrons are located near tails on both upperside and underside wing surfaces. ID Tip: The only Blue with tails. A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. Their caterpillars are flat and slug-like, and eat leaves and flowers of plants in the pea family. share certain morphological features. Members of the Pea family (Fabaceae), especially clovers (Trifolium spp.) Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date. It is found throughout the state from May though October. Several generations occur, and populations build as the summer progresses. They are the most commonly encountered Blue in Alabama, and the only one with tails. It is mainly found along roadsides and in sunny clearings, but also enjoys being in meadows, at the base of … 3 . Alternate host plants include other herbaceous legumes." Eastern tailed blue (Everes comyntas): Caterpillars present June-August. They lay their eggs on flowers and leaves of clover and other legumes, which the larvae eat after hatching. USF Water Institute, They often bask with wings partially open, allowing good looks at dorsal surfaces. Stripe and lateral lines mainly found along roadsides and in sunny clearings, but they are the most seen... 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