Caterpillar foods: plants in the Pea Family
Eastern Tailed Blues are common butterflies at our farm in Wisconsin. I see them throughout the warm moths – from May until September.
7/31/2006
8/6/2006 Mated pair
The females lay their eggs on plants in the Pea Family – I almost always find caterpillars when I check out the flowers of Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata). The caterpillars are flat and slow moving. They seem to prefer to eat flowers rather than leaves. They vary in color – from brown to bright green.
9/5/2005
7/26/2007 This one is much greener.
8/11/2007 Chrysalis
8/15/2005 Adult males are bright blue on the tops of their wings
Adult females’ upper wings are gray and slightly iridescent.
8/2005
8/6/2006
8/14/2005 on Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata)
9/17/2006 I was drying a pile of Bush Clover seeds, and this butterfly hatched inside the house – its chrysalis must have been on one of the plants.
8/2010 on our driveway
8/2010
8/8/2013 on our driveway
