The mission blue butterfly is native to the San Francisco Bay area.
The mission blue butterfly is a small butterfly with blue or brown wings that is native to the San Francisco Bay area of California. Because of habitat loss, the mission blue butterfly is registered as an endangered species. Does this Spark an idea?
Appearance
The male mission blue butterfly has blue wings while the female's wings are mostly brown.
The mission blue butterfly is a small butterfly with blue or blue-tipped wings. Its wingspan generally measures about 1 to 1.5 inches in length. Male mission blue butterflies have blue wings lined with black markings. Female's wings are mostly brown with similar black lining as the males and have only a small portion of their wings with blue coloring. The underside of both female and male mission blue butterfly's wings are a grayish color with black spots.
Coastal Scrub
The mission blue butterfly lives in a habitat known as "coastal scrub" which is found in the western United States, especially in parts of California. Due to development in the San Francisco Bay area, coastal scrub is deteriorating at a fast rate, and the mission blue butterfly is losing its natural habitat.
Larvae
Mission blue butterflies lay their eggs on three types of lupine plant: silver lupine, lindley varied lupine, and summer lupine. In late winter, usually the month of February, the mission blue butterfly larvae emerge from the soil and begin eating lupine plants. Though this is several months after the larvae have hatched, they have been in the soil in a state called diapause, similar to a long sleep. There are certain species of ants that walk along the larvae, eating secretions produced by the larvae that are rich in protein. The ants protect the larvae from being eaten by other insects.
Diet
Mission blue butterfly larvae feed on three species of lupine plant.
The larvae of the mission blue butterfly feeds on three species of lupine plant while the adult mission blue butterfly eats seaside buckwheat, bluedick, and hairy false goldaster.
Endagered Species
The mission blue butterfly is an endangered species due to the loss of coastal scrub habitat in the San Francisco Bay area. Female mission blue butterflies lay their eggs on lupine plants found within this habitat and thus, the lupine is necessary for the mission blue butterfly to reproduce. Because coastal scrub has been largely destroyed, the lupine plant cannot grow, and the mission blue butterfly has nowhere to lay its eggs.
Tags: blue butterfly, mission blue, mission blue butterfly, Francisco area, lupine plant, blue butterflies