Description

The Greenish Blue (Icaricia saepiolus) is a small butterfly with bright blue upper wings in males and brown upper wings in females, and undersides marked with a greenish-gray tint, black spots, and faint orange crescents, commonly found in meadows, grasslands, and alpine areas across western North America.

Range

Mainly the north shore to the Canadian border.

Similar Species

Northern Blue is similar and can be found together near the North Shore. Northern has some orange on the forewing below which Greenish lacks. Melissa blue also has orange on the forewing below but these two species don’t occur in the same habitats in Minnesota.

Host Plants

Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum) and other clovers.

Flight

June and July