Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Disclaimer: This material is being kept online for historical purposes. Content is no longer being updated and may contain broken links.


Santa Barbara Field Guides - Butterflies
Lepidoptera
   Lycaenidae

     Hemiargus isola
     Reakirt's Blue


male upperside
male underside
female upperside
female underside

Size: wingspread .75-1 in.
Recognition: Steel blue with black outer lining of wings and white fringes, 2 small black spots on lower HW; underside has a row of 5 black spots down FW; tailless.
Flight period: Adults are active from about April to October, and all year in the tropics.
Hostplants: The larvae feed on plants in the pea (Fabaceae) and mimosa (Mimosaceae) families.
Habitat: Reakirt's Blues are found in lowland situations and are rare at higher elevations. They prefer desert, and open areas, sometimes near mountains.
Distribution: They are a permanent resident only in warm, southern climates, which includes southern California, but they are a regular vagrant over much of the US.

previous species                     Family list     Lycaenidae                     next species

© Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History