Eastern Tailed Blue (Everes comyntas)
The Eastern tailed blue is a small butterfly found throughout the Eastern and Central regions of the United States. They can be found in all three regions of North Carolina. They occupy disturbed habitats, prairies, roadsides, open fields and gardens.
The upperside of the male's wings are blue while the upperside of female's wings are grayish-brown. For both males and females, the underside of their wings are gray with black, bar-shaped spots and three orange marks on the margins of the hind wings. Small, stubby tails can be observed on their hindwings.
The Eastern tailed blue has 3 broods during the year and flies from March to November in North Carolina. In the summer and early fall it is one of the most abundant butterflies in North Carolina.
Caterpillars feed on a variety of plants in the pea family including wild vetch, wild pea and clovers. The caterpillars feed on the flower buds, flowers and seeds of their host plant rather than the leaves, which is typical of other butterfly caterpillars. Adults are normally found on short, open flowers due to their short proboscises and can be found feeding from clovers, asters and other plants.
Sources - NC State Extension, Butterflies of North Carolina
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