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Mojave Dotted Blue (Euphilotes mojave [Watson & W. R. Comstock])

Wing span: 3/4 - 7/8 inches (1.9 - 2.3 cm).

Identification: Upperside of male pale blue with narrow black borders; female blackish-brown with extensive blue at base. Hindwing has orange marginal hind restricted or absent. Underside similar to Pacific Dotted-Blue

Life history: Dotted Blues usually stay near their host plants. Males patrol around the host plants all day to find females. Eggs are laid singly on flowers or buds; caterpillars eat flowers and fruits and are tended by ants. Chrysalids hibernate

Flight: One flight; Mid-March to June.

Caterpillar hosts: Low Eriogonum species, E. pusillum and E. reniforme.

Adult food: Flower nectar, especially from Eriogonum.

Habitat: Desert washes and sandy areas.

Range: Mojave Desert region of southeastern California, southern Nevada, southeastern Utah, and northwestern Arizona. A small isolated population in northern Baja California.

Conservation: Lives in a fragile habitat, increasingly being invaded by fire-susceptible cheatgrass.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G2,G3 - for species imperiled because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range).