Cassius Blue

Fascinating facts about the Cassius Blue

• The Cassius blue's core range extends from the Florida Keys across Texas, through the Caribbean islands, Mexico and Central America, reaching as far south as South America. Within this broad belt the butterfly occupies habitats where its native Fabaceae host plants grow, allowing its larvae to develop successfully. Its modest wingspan of 20-35 mm enables it to navigate the varied coastal and inland environments of this range.
• Occasionally individuals drift far beyond their normal habitat, with stray sightings recorded in New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Its main distribution lies from Florida through the Caribbean to South America.
• The caterpillars of the Cassius blue normally feed on Fabaceae such as Amorpha crenulata, woolly rattlepod, Galactia regularis and lima bean, but they are also able to complete their development on Cape leadwort or doctorbush. These two eudicot plants are not closely related to the butterfly's usual host family, yet the larvae can successfully utilise them.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Cassius Blue

As the Cassius Blue butterfly dances through the warm, sun-drenched air, its iridescent wings beat at a hypnotic pace, casting a spell of wonder over the landscape. With an effortless elegance, it flits from flower to flower, sipping nectar and leaving a trail of delicate beauty in its wake, its tiny form belied by the grandeur of its presence. In its graceful, whimsical flight, the Cassius Blue embodies the very essence of life's fleeting, ephemeral magic.

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