Euphilotes enoptes

Blue dotted butterflies are found in the United States west of the Mississippi River and in Canada (Miller 1992). Populations tend to occur sporadically in conjunction with their host plant, Eriogonum compositum, a wild buckwheat (Peterson 1997). (Miller, 1992; Peterson, 1997)

Euphilotes enoptes is intimately associated with its host plants, where both it and the plants live in different elevations of the same geographic region (Peterson 1995). Within this region they tend to live in sun-exposed rocky or sandy flats or slopes in foothills, mountains, desert, and along coast (Opler, 2001). (Opler, P.A., 2004; Peterson, 1995)

Eggs – The eggs are a pale bluish-green color that eventually turns white.

Larvae – The larvae vary among the subspecies in color from ivory white to yellow to brown.

Pupa – Among the subspecies the pupa also vary in color, ranging from brown to yellowish-brown to translucent yellow. (Scott 1986)

Adults – The appearance of adults varies with the geographic region. The upperside of the male is lilac blue surrounded by darker borders while the female tends to be brown with an orange spot or patch on the hindwing. Both sexes have similar undersides, typically off-white with brown spots. The black dots on the forewing are predominantly larger and more square-like than those of the hindwing with an orange band on the hingwing separated into dashes. (Opler, 2001) (Opler, P.A., 2004; Scott, 1986)

The development of blue dotted butterflies contains four main stages. The first stage is the egg, which is laid on the host plant. The second stage is the larvae that hatch from the eggs. The larvae then eat the flowers and developing seeds of the host plant in order to prepare for the formation of the pupa. Euphilotes enoptes leave the host plant and pupate at the base of the plant, usually in the soil or litter below it. When they emerge as adults, they continue the life cycle on and around the host plant (Peterson 1995). (Peterson, 1995)

The host plant is central to the reproduction process as males search around the host plant for females. During courtship males land after females, and both contact each other and flutter their wings before they copulate (Scott 1986). The female then oviposits, or lays, the eggs on the flowers and buds of newly opened inflorescences, where they will hatch into larvae that will then eat the flowers and their developing seeds. It is because of this that the window for reproduction is so small; if there were no flowers for the larvae to eat they would die and the attempt at reproduction would be unsuccessful (Peterson 1995). (Peterson, 1995; Scott, 1986)

Adults have a short life span that is typically two to nine days long (Peterson 1995). (Peterson, 1995)

Males tend to "patrol" the host plant to seek females with whom they mate (Scott 1986). (Scott, 1986)

The larvae feed on the developing seeds, young fruit, and flowers of the host plant (Peterson 1995). Adults sip the nectar of flowers (esp. host flowers) and mud (Scott 1986). It is obvious that the host plants are essential to the feeding habits of blue dotted butterflies. (Peterson, 1995; Scott, 1986)

The caterpillars have a honey gland which secretes a sugary solution that ants eat. ("euphilot enoptes frames", 2002)

Due to the destruction of its habitat in California, the subspecies Euphilotes enoptes smithi was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1984 (Sbordoni and Forestiero 1998). (Sbordoni and Forestiero, 1998)