Spring Azure

Place name abbreviations: MPEA – Middle Patuxent Environment Area; PRSP – Patuxent River State Park; PVSP – Patapsco River Valley State Park.

Click on the common name to obtain additional information from the Butterflies and Moths of North America web page. BugGuide is another web resource.

Legend:

There are so few records that a phenogram and early-late dates are not meaningful.

How to you distinguish a Spring Azure from a spring form Summer Azure?

According to Harry Pavulaan, the Azure expert, the Spring Azures are a more violet-blue above, the spring form Summer Azures a more azure-blue. However, since they both always perch with their wings closed, you can only tell the shade of blue while they are flying—which is not so easy to photograph. They can both be flying at the same time in the spring. Spring Azures use Flowering Dogwood and Wild Black Cherry for larval host; Summer Azures use other dogwood species, viburnums, and even sumacs. Thus, the technique would be to find a place with some Flowering Dogwoods (or Wild Black Cherry), a lot of Azure species flying around, and then look for representatives with a darker blue shade while it is flying. If you want a picture, then snap one of a specimen after it has perched and that appeared violet blue while it was flying. (I never said this was easy…)—Dick Smith