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Spalding's Dotted-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, and western Nevada.
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).
Management needs: Monitor populations and habitats for invasion of exotic plants such as cheatgrass.
References:
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co.,
Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
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 1999 -
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