Bug FAQDusky Azure
Celastrina nigra · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The dusky azure is a butterfly that belongs to the Lycaenidae family. Its caterpillars feed on goat's beard, scientifically known as Aruncus dioicus.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Celastrina nigra, called the dusky azure, is a member of the Lycaenidae butterfly family.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
This species is found in the extreme northeast corner of Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larval host plant for the dusky azure is goat's beard (Aruncus dioicus).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is the extreme northeast corner of the state of Georgia, USA.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What family does the dusky azure belong to?
It is part of the Lycaenidae family of butterflies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the dusky azure found?
It occurs in the extreme northeast corner of Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars of the dusky azure eat?
The larvae feed on the plant goat's beard, Aruncus dioicus.
Source: Wikipedia
Who first described Celastrina nigra?
William Trowbridge Merrifield Forbes described the species in 1960.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celastrina_nigra
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.