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Spalding's Blue (Euphilotes spaldingi [Barnes & McDunnough])

Wing span: 1 - 1 1/8 inches (2.5 - 2.9 cm).

Identification: Upperside of male blue with wide dark border; female brown with orange band on both fore- and hindwings. Underside of both sexes gray with black spots and orange marginal bands on both wings.

Life history: Males patrol erratically for females.

Flight: One brood from June-July.

Caterpillar hosts: Eriogonum racemosum in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae).

Adult food: Nectar from flowers including Eriogonum jamesi.

Habitat: Rocky outcrops on elevated pinyon-juniper plateaus.

Range: Northeastern New Mexico, northern Arizona, southwest Colorado, Utah.

Conservation: Many populations on public lands are not in need of specific protection.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).