Frosted Elfin - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Stray, Accidental, or Historic

Frosted Elfin Callophrys irus

Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1¼ inches (1.9 - 3.2 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Rarely seen. Dark brown. Males with stigma patch on forewing. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Brown with extensive gray frosting along the outer edges. Frosted area contains a distinct single black spot. Short, stubby tail.

ID Tip: Broad ventral hindwing frosting with black spot near tail.

Egg: Whitish, flattened disc. Laid singly on host plant, often on buds.

Caterpillar: Blue green; pale white dashes; white lateral stripe. Head brown. Slug shaped.

Chrysalis: Dark brown; covered with short brownish orange hairs. Pellet shaped. The overwintering stage.

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Frosted Elfins are rare throughout their range. Populations have plummeted in the last 50 years. We know of only one record of Frosted Elfin within the state. That specimen was collected in Tuscaloosa County during the 1950s.

Frosted Elfins require highly specialized habitat. Their populations depend on early succession plant communities that contain lupine or wild indigo species--unique sites that were historically maintained by fire. As succession progressed and sun loving plants were replaced by a layer of shrubs, Frosted Elfins moved to the next burned patch. Unfortunately, today these habitats are highly fragmented. Most Frosted Elfin habitat is now confined to remnant natural sites or human impacted landscapes like utility right-of-ways, railroad edges, or airport runways.

Like all elfins, Frosteds produce only one brood per year. Butterflies are on the wing approximately six weeks in the spring. Evidence of caterpillars remains longer and is easy to see. Early instar caterpillars chew pin prick holes into developing buds, crawl inside, and hollow out the interior. Older larvae bore larger holes and ultimately devour buds, flowers, and seedpods. Chrysalides overwinter at the host plant’s base and may be partially submerged, protecting them from seasonal fires.

In Florida, lupine-eating populations occur only miles from the Alabama state line. Suitable habitat with large stands of Sundial Lupine could occur in Geneva State Forest, Fort Rucker, the Conecuh National Forest, or on private land. If you know where populations of Sundial Lupine occur in Alabama or if you see a Frosted Elfin, please contact us at albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
No Sightings recorded at this time.

Typically, clearings in pine barrens, oak savannas, sandhills, dry oak woods--often power cuts that run through these areas. Not known in Alabama.

Sundial Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is a host in the Florida Panhandle. In North Carolina, Sundial Lupine and Oak Ridge Lupine/Blue Sandhill Lupine (L. diffusus) are hosts. A Frosted Elfin subspecies that occurs along the northern Atlantic Coast as well as in Arkansas and Texas uses wild indigos (Baptisia spp.).

No host has been documented in Alabama, but Sundial Lupine is the host in the Florida Panhandle.

If you know where populations of Sundial Lupine occur in Alabama, please contact us at albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.