Howard County Bird Club
Summer 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 and the following common name for additional information from USGS web page. BugGuide is another web resource.
Legend:
| Common name [Link is to BAMONA] (wingspan range in inches) Common name [link is to USGS] |
Occurrence level & flight period. | |
| Habitat. | Typically visits (for nectaring). | Larval host plants. |
| Summer Azure (0.9–1.2″) Summer Azure |
Common: L-May thru E-Oct | Woods trails & edges | Mud puddles | Viburnum, wingstem | |
Spring brood
April 10, 2014
David Force WMA
Linda Hunt
Female
April 19, 2015
Western Regional Park
Annette Allor
June 8, 2014
Rockburn Branch Park
Annette Allor
June 25, 2011
Avalon (PVSP)
Richard Orr
September 1, 2001
Howard Chapel Road (PRSP)
Wes Earp
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
The phenograms show the maximum number of individual butterflies of this species seen in the first eight years of the Howard County Butterfly Survey. From these graphs, one can see the number of broods of each species, when they are active, and the relative abundance of the species in each brood. The observed early and late dates are shown below The graphs can be used to anticipate the first sighting of a given species in the year and can help with identification.
Early date has not been definitely determined because of the potential overlap with Spring Azure. Late: 11/3/2015