Acmon Blue (Plebejus acmon [Westwood & Hewitson])
Wing span: 3/4 - 1 1/8 inches (2 - 2.9 cm).
Identification: Upperside of males blue with dark narrow border; female brown. Underside white with black spot pattern. Hindwing above and below with red-orange submarginal band.
Life history: Males patrol near hosts for females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves or flowers of host plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves, flowers, and developing seeds, and are tended by ants. Second-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Many flights from March-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Various species of buckwheats (Eriogonum), lupines (Lupinus), trefoils (lotus), and milkvetches (Astragalus).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Desert, fields, prairie hills, weedy areas, road edges.
Range: Western Oregon, western Nevada, and all of California south through Baja California.
