Acmon Blue Butterfly, Icaricia acmon

Food sources utilized by the Larva of the Acmon Blue Butterfly

The Acmon Blue butterfly larvae live on a variety of food plants such as Shadscale (Atriplex canescens), Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.), Rock Cress (Dudleya spp.), but many of the food plants, including (Lupinus spp.), Astragalus sp., and Lotus spp., are in the Legume family (Fabaceae).

The Blues are small, exquisitely beautiful butterflies that are usually colored blue (on the top of their wings). The disposition of this butterfly is very apparent as you try to get a closeup.

Hey, I'm a tough guy, don't bug me. From the view finder it looks like a Chihuahua dressed in a fuzzy suit with blue lacy bat wings. Sometimes they will not stay on a desired flower longer than a few seconds because they're chasing off anything that looks like another butterfly. Skippers can get near at their peril. There's a crazy little guy in a butterfly suit that will fly in their face until they leave.

Food sources utilized by the adult Acmon Blue Butterfly

In a native garden the adult Acmon Blue butterfly feeds on Milkweed flowers. The large flower clusters are made up of small and easily accessible. They can also be seen on Baccharis douglassii, Marsh Baccharis This plant grows in a similar manner to the narrow leaf milkweed. Flowers white and small in large clusters. Some of the adults also feed upon buckwheat flowers. Buckwheats of all kinds are popular with these butterflies as well as many other species. Plant a buckwheat in the garden and save more than one butterfly.

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