Bug FAQLupine Blue
Icaricia lupini · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The Lupine Blue butterfly has a wingspan of about 17 to 29 mm. Its larvae feed on the fruits, flowers, seeds and leaves of buckwheat plants, while adults sip nectar from buckwheat, composites and onions.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 17 mm up to 29 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Eggs are laid on or near buckwheat flowers; the caterpillars eat the plant’s fruits, flowers, seeds and leaves. Adult butterflies drink nectar from buckwheat, composite flowers and onion plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species overwinters as a second-instar larva in diapause. In most of its range it produces several generations of adults from March through July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from May to September depending on location, e.g., June-August in the Sierra Nevada, May-July on the Canadian Prairies, and May-September in Colorado.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs from southwestern Canada, through the mountainous western United States and high plains, down to northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, California, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see Lupine Blue butterflies?
Adults fly from late spring into late summer, with exact months varying by region.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do Lupine Blue caterpillars eat?
They feed on the fruits, flowers, seeds and leaves of buckwheat species such as Eriogonum umbellatum and Eriogonum fasciculatum.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icaricia_lupini
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.