This tiny butterfly with a wingspan of only an inch, if flying around during the winter, would be hidden under the huge snowflakes falling this morning. Earlier this week, it would have turned blue from the sub-zero temperatures. But the Spring Azure overwinter as pupas, and the ‘Spring’ Spring Azure emerges in April and May from a long pupal stage that started early summer the prior year. The ‘Summer’ Spring Azure waits until early summer to emerge.
There is a lot of debate on the Spring Azure on whether it is a diverse species with several sub-species or to be many full species. The butterfly I saw is most likely the Summer Spring Azure, as how some of the references would identify it, since its black markings are smaller than the Spring Spring Azure, plus it was spotted in late summer which is when the two batches of summer variety emerge.
Summer Spring Azure
