Bug FAQShasta Blue
Icaricia shasta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The Shasta blue butterfly has a wingspan of about 20 to 22 mm. Its larvae feed on lupine, two Astragalus species, and a clover.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The Shasta blue belongs to the butterfly family Lycaenidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 20 to 22 millimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in the northwestern United States and reaches into southern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
You can see adults between June and August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from the northwestern United States up into southern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, 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
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on lupine, two Astragalus species, and a clover.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this butterfly?
It occurs in the northwestern United States and into southern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shasta_blue
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.