Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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Stray, Accidental, or Historic

Reakirt's Blue Echinargus isola

Reakirt's Blue (Echinargus isola)

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Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1¼" (1.9 - 2.8 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Male: blue. Female: dusky brown with blue toward body. Two hindwing spots are present but lack any orange pigment. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Whitish gray; distinctive row of black forewing spots rimmed with white. Black spots continue around hindwing, with several small spots and one to three larger black spots. Hindwing spots lack orange color.

ID Tip:  Row of round, white-rimmed back spots on underside of forewing is distinctive,

Egg: Whitish; turban shaped. Laid singly on host plant, often on buds.

Caterpillar: Variable in color; may be green with light lateral line and light chevrons; brown with shades of pink and tan; brown with lighter chevrons.

Chrysalis: May be greenish or light brown. Typical pellet shaped chrysalis.

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Reakirt's Blues are well known vagrants.  In the United States, their home base is Texas and the southwestern states, but they typically emigrate northward, colonizing the midwestern states and sometimes straying into Canada. They expand eastward as well, often reaching western Mississippi.  A Reakirt's Blue occasionally shows up in Alabama, so small blue butterflies are worth a second look.

Distribution and Abundance

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: Jefferson

  • Map Symbol for Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 years
  • Map Symbol for Semi-Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
  • Map Symbol for Old Sightings Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

  • 1 - Jefferson - 7/7/1999
County Distribution Map

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
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Habitat

Old fields, disturbed areas, utility line cuts, roadsides; gardens. 

Host and Nectar Plants

Many legumes are listed in other regions including Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis), prairie clovers (Dalea spp.), Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), and indigos (Indigofera spp.).

No host plant has been verified in Alabama.