These beautiful insects can be found all over, from tropical rainforests to dry deserts, and they come in many colors! Blue butterflies are among the most beautiful and distinctive insects on the planet. There are thousands of different types of blue butterflies, and in this article we’re going to take a look at 12 of them.
12 Types of blue butterflies
Here are 12 blue butterfly species you should look into if you’re curious about the different types of blue butterflies:
1. Blue Morpho Butterfly
Scientific Name: Morpho peleides
Blue Morpho Butterfly is a type of butterfly found in South American rainforests. With a wingspan of up to 8 inches, it is one of the world’s largest butterflies. The Blue Morpho Butterfly has been dubbed a “butterfly of kings” because you can only find it in areas far from human settlements.
This means that it is found in remote areas where there are no people rather than near civilization. The Blue Morpho Butterfly gets its name from its markings: white spots on the underside of its wings that resemble eyes—hence “peleides,” which means “eyespotted”—and its blue coloring makes it one of nature’s most beautiful creatures!
2. Cassius Blue
Scientific Name: Leptotes cassius
Cassius Blue, also known as Florida Blue, is a native Florida butterfly named after the color of the sky on a sunny day. The butterfly stands out from its surroundings due to its black body and blue wings. You can find Cassius Blue in various environments, including swamps, marshes, and fields.
During the summer, the adults are active and feed on nectar from flowers. Their caterpillars eat plant leaves and pupate underground for about two weeks before emerging as adults.
Cassius Blue butterflies are known for their voracious appetites in addition to the beautiful colors like blue on their wings!
3. Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly
Scientific Name: Cupido comyntas
The Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly is a lovely, bright blue butterfly found in the eastern United States. It is one of North America’s most common butterflies and has a 1-inch wingspan and a 2-week lifespan.
They don’t like flying in strong winds, so you’ll usually find them near trees where they can sit and wait for the wind to die down before taking off. Although males are smaller than females, both have white spots on their wings.
4. Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly
Scientific Name: Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis
The Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly is an endangered species of butterfly that inhabits the high chaparral grasslands of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California. These butterflies are only found in small groups or individuals throughout their habitat and are unique to this area.
The butterflies typically lay their eggs on deerweed, which is becoming scarce in California due to house construction. In addition to their bright blue coloration, adult male butterflies have red eyes and display their wings prominently when threatened by predators.
5. Reakirt’s Blue Butterfly
Scientific Name: Echinargus isola
The Reakirt’s Blue Butterfly is a beautiful butterfly found in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the Lycaenidae family and is easily identified by its bright blue color.
The wingspan of the Reakirt’s Blue Butterfly is about 3 inches (7.5 cm). These magnificent insects inhabit regions with a lot of open space and few predators, so meadows and grasslands are preferred over forests and jungles.
Its caterpillars feed on native grasses like yellow sweet clover and mimosa; you can find these plants in many parts of North America, where these butterflies live.
6. California sister
Scientific Name: Adelpha californica
The California sister butterfly is a North American butterfly species. It belongs to the Nymphalidae family of brush-footed butterflies. Their wings are blue on the underside, which helps them blend in with the sky.
These beautiful creatures are typically seen flying at higher elevations because they prefer higher temperatures and less moisture than other butterflies.
California sister has a slender body and long antennae that aid in navigation when flying through trees or bushes in search of food or mates. They lay their eggs on host plants like oak plants so that when the eggs hatch, there is plenty of food nearby for them to eat!
7. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Scientific Name: Papilio glaucus
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is one of North America’s most well-known butterflies. Each forewing has four black “tiger stripes,” and the hindwing has a prominent band of blue spots.
From June to October, the butterfly can be found across much of eastern North America, including southern Canada. It prefers open, sunny areas like fields, meadows, woodlands, and roadside ditches. In addition to other plants, the caterpillar consumes sweet bays, which are widespread in Florida.
8. Melissa Blue Butterfly
Scientific Name: Plebejus melissa
The Melissa Blue Butterfly is a lovely, delicate butterfly found across the United States. It belongs to the Lycaenidae family of gossamer-winged butterflies, which has over 4,000 species worldwide.
This butterfly is native to North America but was introduced to Europe and Asia to control agricultural pests. The veins on the blue wings of the Melissa Blue Butterfly are decorated with white spots that look like stars.
The underside of its wings is lighter than the dorsal side and has black spots on it. You can also find them in open areas with tall grasses and flowers, such as fields and meadows, as well as in urban areas like parks or gardens.
9. Mourning Cloak Butterfly
Scientific Name: Nymphalis antiopa
The Mourning Cloak Butterfly is a butterfly found in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest region. It has a 4-inch wingspan and is a dark maroon color with yellow markings on its wings.
You’ll also notice bright and iridescent blue spots line the black line separating the maroon and yellow. Mourning cloak butterflies are distinguished from other species by several characteristics: they hibernate as adults during the winter months, and their caterpillars have a spiky appearance with black and reddish orange spots.
10. Red-spotted Purple Admiral Butterfly
Scientific Name: Limenitis arthemis astyanax
The blue wings of the Red-spotted Purple Admiral Butterfly are a stunning sight. This butterfly species is one of the largest butterflies in North America, with a wingspan of 3.2 to 4 inches.
This butterfly is most commonly seen from May to October, with a peak in June and a smaller peak in late summer. Caterpillars typically feed on the leaves of host plants such as black oak, aspens, hawthorn, serviceberry, birches, and cottonwood.
11. Pipevine Swallowtail
Scientific Name: Battus philenor
The Pipevine swallowtail is one of North America’s most beautiful butterflies. The wings are brownish with blackish-blue borders, and each hind wing has a row of orange spots. In contrast, the caterpillar is black or reddish in color with bright orange tubercles.
In addition to their distinctive markings, you can identify Pipevine swallowtails by their habit of drinking from mud puddles that they find while flying close to the ground. These butterflies will also land on the ground to feed on flower sap or nectar.
12. White M Hairstreak
Scientific Name: Parrhasius m-album
The White M hairstreak is a butterfly found in North America that you can find in oak woodlands, oak hammocks, scrub, and surrounding areas. If you examine these creatures closely, you will notice that the male White M Hairstreak has broad, iridescent blue margins on the upper side of his wings. While the female has black wing bases with blue scaling. The ‘M’ in their name refers to the M-shaped lines on the underside of their hind wings.
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