Bernardino Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes bernardino [Barnes and McDunnough])
Wing span: 11/16 - 13/16 inches (1.7 - 2.1 cm).
Identification: Male blue with narrow black outer margin, no orange band.. Upperside of female brown with orange submarginal band on hindwing. Underside off-white with distinct black spots and an orange band on hindwing.
Life history: Males patrol all day near host plants to find receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on host plant flowers; caterpillars eat flowers and fruits, and are protected by ants. Chrysalids hibernate in sand or leaf litter.
Flight: One flight; February to late August , timing depends of location and host.
Caterpillar hosts: Various wild buckwheats (Eriogonum species): especially Fasciculate buckwheat, but also Cinereous and Shockley buckwheats.
Adult food: Flower nectar especially that from Eriogonum species.
Habitat: Varies by subspecies; includes desert scrub and chaparral.
Range: Southern California south to northern Baja California, southern Nevada and western Arizona.
