The Eastern Tailed-Blue is a butterfly that is found in the eastern parts of North America. It is very distinguished by its color and its tail.
What Does the Eastern Blue-Tailed Butterfly Look Like?
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly male is blue on the top of their wings and the female is a lighter blue color and sometimes grey or brown. There are other Eastern Blue-Tailed butterflies that have purple and pink on them.
The bottom of the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly is tan or blue or white. On the back wings, there will be around two or three black or orange spots.
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly is around 1.14 inches wide.
What Does the Eastern Blue-Tailed Butterfly Eat?
The caterpillar of the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly likes to eat different things such as legumes, clover and vetches. Many of the legumes include peas and pea family plants.
The adult butterfly eats different legumes. They also enjoy nectar from clover, shepherd’s needle, wild strawberries, winter cress and more.
Where Does the Eastern Blue-Tailed Butterfly Live?
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly is found in North America, Central America, in the Great Plains, California, Oregon and Washington. Some species of the Eastern Blue-Tailed is also found in the Rocky Mountains.
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly likes to live in areas that are sunny and weeded. They also enjoy pastures, gardens, meadows and grassy areas.
Feeding
The Eastern Blue-Tailed Butterfly has a short tongue or proboscis and does not fly high so it has to drink nectar from plants that are found close to the ground.
When is the Eastern Blue-Tailed Butterfly Most Active?
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly is most active in April through November in the northern parts of the states and in February to November in the southern states.
More Facts About the Eastern Blue-Tailed Butterfly:
- When the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly drinks nectar from different legumes, it lets out a liquid that the ants like. Since the ants like this liquid, they will protect the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly from predators.
- Many of the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterflies can be found sitting with their wings open basking in the sun.
- This butterfly is considered dainty.
- The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly is part of the Blues Tribe.
- Orange spots on the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly distract predators to think that the wings are an insect.
- Males are sometimes seen gathered at puddles and these are called “puddle parties.”
What Did You Learn?
What is the Eastern Blue-Tailed?
The Eastern Blue-Tailed is a butterfly that is found all over North America.
What is different about the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly?
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly is different because it can be distinguished by its colors and wing shape very easily.
What does the Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly eat?
The caterpillar will eat leaves of different legumes, including many from the pea plant. The adult butterfly drinks nectar from different plants including cloves and legumes.
What is interesting about the Eastern Blue-Tailed eating habits?
The Eastern Blue-Tailed butterfly eats from different legumes that ants like and it secrets a liquid that the ants like. In exchange, the ants will protect the butterflies from predators.
What is important about the orange spots on the butterfly’s wings?
The orange spots confuse predators and makes them think that the orange spots are another insect. If they are attacked, the butterfly will not be harmed.
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