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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of New York

Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)
JPG -- species photo

Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta [W.H. Edwards])

Wing span: 15/16 - 1 1/8 inches (2.4 - 2.9 cm).

Identification: Upperside of male powdery blue often with ill-defined white patch on hindwing. Female with much white scaling on both forewings and hindwings. Underside of hindwing pale gray or white with small black dots and submarginal dark zigzag line.

Life history: Caterpillars eat flowers. Chrysalids overwinter until flower late spring or summer.

Flight: One flight from June to October.

Caterpillar hosts: Racemose dogwood, New Jersey Tea, and other plants.

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Various habitats including stream valleys, powerline right-of-ways, gardens.

Range: Most of eastern and central United States as well as southern Canada.

Conservation: Not necessary.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.

References:


Layberry, R.A., P.W. Hall, and J.D. Lafontaine. 1998. The Butterflies of 

     Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto. 282 pages, 32 color plates.



Opler, P.A. 1999. A field guide to western butterflies.  Houghton-Mifflin Co., 

      Boston, Mass. 540 pages, 44 color plates.



Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies including 

     adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Denver and Fort Collins, CO. 

Author: Paul A. Opler

State and Regional References:


Cech, R. 1993.  A Distributional Checklist of the Butterflies and Skippers of 

     the New York City Area (50-mile Radius) and Long Island.  New York City 

     Butterfly Club Special Publication.  27 pp.



Forbes, W.T.M.  1960.  Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States.  Part 

     IV: Agaristidae through Nymphalidae Including Butterflies.  Cornell Univ. 

     Agricultural Experimental Station, Ithaca, N.Y.  Memoir 371.  188 pp.



Glassberg,  J.  1993.  Butterflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to 

     Butterflies in the Boston-New York-Washington Region.  Oxford Univ. Press, 

     New York, N.Y.  160 pp. 



Klass, C. and Dirig, R.  1992.  Learning about Butterflies.  Cornell Cooperative 

     Extension Publication, 4-H Member/Leader Guide 139-M-9.  Ithaca, N.Y.  

     36 pp.



Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 

     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp.

     

Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format.

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.      



Shapiro, A.M.  1974.  Butterflies and Skippers of New York State.  Cornell Univ.

     Agricultural Experimental Station, Ithaca, N.Y.  Search 4:1-60.   

Data courtesy of David M. Wright, New Jersey

Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)
distribution map
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