Melissa blue

The upper side of the female is brown with light blue scales and a white margin. There is a submarginal row of reddish-orange spots on both the hindwing and the forewing.

Wing span: ⅞″ to 1⅜″

Karner blue (Plebejus melissa samuelis) female has no submarginal spots on the upper side of the forewing.

Northern blue (Plebejus idas) female has less blue on the upper side.

Open, weedy areas, meadows, and prairies.

Two broods: late May to June; and August.

Various legumes of the pea family including Canadian milkvetch, Cooper’s milkvetch, ground plum, wild licorice, bird’s-foot trefoil, alfalfa, black medick, and, rarely, sundial lupine and bigleaf lupine.

Caterpillars eat young leaves and are tended by ants who feed on the caterpillars’ sugary secretions.

Sources

7, 21, 29, 30, 75, 82, 83.