Summer azure facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Summer azure |
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| Female, upperside | |
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| C. n. neglecta, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | |
| Scientific classification |
The summer azure (Celastrina neglecta) is a small, beautiful butterfly found in North America. It belongs to the Lycaenidae family, often called "blues" or "coppers" because of their colors.
This butterfly usually has pale blue wings. Some females might have wings that are almost entirely white, with just a little blue near the body. The top of the wings often has white scales, especially on the back wings. Female summer azures also have a wide, dark band on the outer part of their front wings. The underside of their wings is a chalky white or light gray. It has tiny dark gray spots and a zig-zag line on the back wings. The wingspan of a summer azure is about 23 to 29 millimeters (about 1 inch).
Where Summer Azures Live
Summer azures live across most of the eastern and central United States. They are also found in southern Canada, from Nova Scotia all the way to southern Saskatchewan.
When Do They Fly?
Adult summer azures can be seen flying from the middle of June until early October. In warmer southern areas, they can have two or three generations of butterflies in one year. This means new butterflies hatch and grow up multiple times during the flying season.
Similar Butterflies
It can sometimes be tricky to tell the summer azure apart from other similar butterflies. Here are a few that look alike:
- Spring azure (C. ladon)
- Cherry gall azure (C. serotina)
- Holly azure (C. idella)
- Lucia azure (C. lucia)
Images for kids
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Female, upperside
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C. n. neglecta, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
