Silvery blue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silvery blue |
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| G. l. couperi, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | |
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Polyommatini
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Glaucopsyche
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G. lygamus
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| Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Edward Doubleday, 1841)
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The silvery blue (scientific name: Glaucopsyche lygdamus) is a small and beautiful butterfly. It lives across North America, from the western United States all the way up into most of Canada.
These butterflies are quite small, with a wingspan of about 18 to 28 millimeters. That's less than an inch and a half!
You can easily spot a silvery blue by its colors. Male butterflies have bright, light blue upper wings. Females are a bit different, with a duller grayish-blue color on top. If you look at the underside of their wings, you'll see they are gray. They also have a single row of round spots. The size of these spots can be different depending on where the butterfly lives.
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Meet the Silvery Blue Butterfly
The silvery blue butterfly is a fascinating insect. It belongs to a group of butterflies called "blues" because of their pretty blue colors. These butterflies are important parts of their ecosystems. They help with pollination as they visit flowers.
Where Do Silvery Blues Live?
Silvery blue butterflies are found in many places. They live across a large part of western United States. You can also find them throughout most of Canada. They don't usually live in the far northern parts like most of Nunavut or the very cold Arctic islands.
Similar Butterflies You Might See
Sometimes, it can be tricky to tell different blue butterflies apart! Here are a few other butterflies that look a bit like the silvery blue:
- Eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas): This butterfly has tiny "tails" on its back wings.
- Western tailed-blue (Cupido amyntula): Like the Eastern tailed-blue, this one also has small tails.
- Arrowhead blue (Glaucopsyche piasus): Another blue butterfly that shares some features.
- Greenish blue (Aricia saepiolus): This butterfly has two rows of small black spots on the underside of both wings.
- Boisduval's blue (Aricia icarioides): Similar to the Greenish blue, it also has two rows of small black spots on the underside of its wings.
Different Types of Silvery Blue Butterflies
Just like people can have different family names, butterflies can have different subspecies. These are like different "types" within the same species. They might have slight differences in their looks or where they live. Here are some of the known subspecies of the silvery blue butterfly:
- G. l. afra
- G. l. arizonensis (Arizona silvery blue)
- G. l. australis (southern silvery blue)
- G. l. columbia (Columbia blue)
- G. l. couperi (Couper's silvery blue)
- G. l. deserticola (Mojave silvery blue)
- G. l. incognitus (Behr's silvery blue)
- G. l. jacki (Jack's silvery blue)
- G. l. lygdamus (Georgian silvery blue)
- G. l. mildredae (Mildred's silvery blue)
- G. l. minipunctum (mini-spotted silvery blue)
- G. l. nittanyensis (Appalachian silvery blue)
- G. l. oro (oro silvery blue)
- G. l. palosverdesensis (Palos Verdes blue)
- G. l. pseudoxerces (false Xerces silvery blue)
- G. l. sabulosa (sand dune silvery blue)
- G. l. xerces (Xerces blue) – Sadly, this type of silvery blue butterfly is now extinct. This means it no longer exists anywhere in the world.
