Bug FAQSierra Blue
Agriades podarce · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The Sierra Blue butterfly (Agriodes podarce) has a wingspan of about 22 to 26 mm and lives in sub-alpine meadows. Adults fly from June through September, feeding on flower nectar, while the caterpillars eat the plant Dodecatheon jeffreyi.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 22 to 26 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits subalpine meadow environments.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults sip nectar from flowers such as yellow composites and bistort. Caterpillars feed on the plant Dodecatheon jeffreyi.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation per year, with adults on the wing from June to September. Caterpillars and chrysalids spend the winter in hibernation.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from June through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see Sierra Blue butterflies?
Adults are on the wing from June to September.
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult Sierra Blues feed on?
They drink nectar from flowers, especially yellow composites and bistort.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriades_podarce
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.