Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Northern Hemisphere
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

Holarctic Azures are a genus of small, powder-blue butterflies found across North America, Europe, and Asia, with wing color that can shift from sky blue to nearly white depending on the season. Their tiny caterpillars are tended by ants, which protect them in exchange for sugary secretions.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

Learn more

View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Celastrina