Celebrating California's tiny butterflies
Meet the beautiful blues of the Lycaenidae family
California's coast is home to several strikingly beautiful blue butterflies in the Lycaenidae family. They are also known as gossamer-winged butterflies because their wings, like the fabric, appear delicate and shimmery. These tiny butterflies boast wingspans of about one inch. They each have individual wing patterns, and are found in different parts of the state. Take a tour of these endangered butterflies to discover their unique markings and see where they live near you.
The Mission blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides missionensis) is unique to the Bay Area. It lays its eggs on lupine, which is also food for the caterpillars. Its typical habitat is coastal scrubland and grassland vegetation.
The ventral (underside) wing on both males and females is pale gray with rows of irregular white-ringed black spots.
Males have an iridescent blue dorsal (upper surface) wing with a black border fringed with white hair-like scales. Females have a dark brown dorsal wing marked with blue basal areas, with a margin similar to the male.
Use your mouse to slide the arrows back and forth to compare.
The Smith's blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi) occurs in scattered colonies along the coast in Monterey and northern San Luis Obispo counties. It uses two species of buckwheat that grow in coastal sand dunes and chaparral habitats found in this region for its entire life cycle - with adults sipping nectar from the flowers and depositing eggs on the flowerheads, larvae feeding on the flowers and seeds, and pupae forming directly on the plants before dropping to the ground where they overwinter in the leaf litter.
The ventral wing on both males and females is whitish-gray, speckled with black dots and with a band of orange near the outer edge.
Males have a bright blue dorsal wing and females have a brown dorsal wing with a band of orange marks across the hindwing. Both have checkered fringes on their wings.
The Palos Verdes blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis) is endemic to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. Because its population is so small it is one of the world’s rarest butterflies. It inhabits open coastal sage scrub, feeding on deerweed and Santa Barbara milk vetch as caterpillars.
Both males and females have a gray ventral wing with dark spots surrounded by white.
Males have a silvery-blue dorsal wing with a black border and females have a brownish-gray dorsal wing.
The El Segundo blue butterfly (Euphilotes battoides allyni) is restricted to Los Angeles County extending from the Ballona Wetlands south to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It drinks the nectar of seacliff buckwheat and uses the same plant to deposit its eggs, which turn into caterpillars and feed on the leaves.
The ventral wing for both males and females is gray with bold, square-shaped spots and a series of orange spots that appear merged into a single band of color.
The dorsal wing is bright blue on males and brown on females. Both have an orange border on the hindwings.
Have you spotted any of these blue beauties in your backyard? Use your mouse to move the interactive map around. You can also zoom into their range or search for a particular address.
butterfly ranges
How can you help?
Everyone can play a role in species recovery. Join the conservation effort today!
Plant a pollinator garden using native plants and avoiding pesticides.
Become a citizen scientist and help scientists track population numbers to better understand wildlife and habitat conditions.
Keep up to date on the Service’s pollinator initiatives .
Learn more about California butterflies through fun art activities .
