Our insect of the week for July 21, 2025 is the spring azure, Celastrina ladon (Cramer, 1780) [LEPIDOPTERA: Lycaenidae]. Yes, I know it is no longer spring, but there are so many insects we could discuss. This insect is found from Alaska and Canada south to isolated pockets int he mountains of Colombia and has also been reported from Molokai island, Hawaii.

This is often the first butterfly to appear in the spring (the first that does not hibernate as an adult). They overwinter as a chrysalis (if you are curious). Caterpillars feed on a variety of plants including dogwoods. These caterpillars provide ants with honeydew (sugars) and ants protect the caterpillars from potential predators. A nice example of mutualism (both species benefit from their association).

For a little extra information – some specialists consider this a distinct species, while others consider this a subspecies of C. argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758). As we all know, science is a process and more information is needed to fully confirm whether this is a distinct species or not. Yes, we could get into a most interesting discussion as to what constitutes a biological species, but I will save that for another day.

The specimen photographed below was collected (and photographed) by our former member, Frank Hitchell.