Eastern Tailed-Blue - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1¾ inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm). There is one narrow tail on the hindwing. The upperside of males is iridescent blue; summer females are uniformly brown, spring females are smaller with much blue at the wing bases. The underside of the hindwing is pale gray with a black bar and distinct black spots as well as three large orange spots at the outer margin near the tail.

ID Tip: The only Blue with tails. Orange chevrons are located near tails on both upperside and underside wing surfaces.

Egg: Pale green, flattened disc. Laid singly, often on or near buds of host.

Caterpillar: Caterpillars are variable in color: may be green; green and red; mostly red. There is a dorsal stripe and lateral lines. Body is covered with fine white hairs. The head is black. Caterpillars are the overwintering stage.

Chrysalis: Pellet-shaped. Color varies: may be whitish green with darker head and thorax; dark green; tan.

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Throughout most of the state, Eastern Tailed-Blues are familiar sights in fields, pastures, roadsides and other open, sunny areas. They are the most commonly encountered Blue in Alabama, and the only one with tails. Several generations occur, and populations build as the summer progresses. ETB flight is weak and fluttery, and these tiny butterflies generally stay close to the ground. They often bask with wings partially open, allowing good looks at dorsal surfaces. Males sometimes congregate in large groups to seek nutrients from damp soil. Both sexes are attracted to small, low-growing flowers.

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 following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

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

High count(s):

115 - Madison - 6/16/2017
74 - Jefferson - 10/4/2012
50 - Jackson - 4/24/2014

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
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
						1		1	9	75	250	291	176	272	153	104	103	128	211	156	218	353	111	117	105	148	167	116	112	113	127	235	275	136	266	223	84	26	14	5	2	1

A wide variety of open, disturbed sites including roadsides, pastures, and even yards.

Members of the Pea family (Fabaceae), especially clovers (Trifolium spp.) and vetches (Vicia spp.) are reported in throughout the range.

These plants have been documented as hosts in Alabama but other pea family memebers are probably used as well.

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Many people provide Eastern Tailed-Blues with habitat without ever realizing it. Less-than-manicured garden edges, alleyways, and natural lawns are often abundant with the small pea-family plants that provide their tiny caterpillars with food. These areas often contain small flowering plants like clover, frogfruit, and violets that provide nectar sources for many small butterflies, including Eastern Tailed-Blues.

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) 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.