Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured below?
The answer to last week’s mystery is an eastern tailed-blue, Cupido comyntas, pictured below:
The eastern tailed-blue is a small, adaptable butterfly species native to North America, known for its distinct tails and important role in pollination.
The adult butterfly prefers flowers close to the ground that are open or short-tubed. These flowers include sweet clover, shepherd’s needle, wild strawberry, wintercress, cinquefoils, asters, and others. The caterpillar feeds on plants in the pea family, including sweet clover, alfalfa, vetch, and others.
Although most Lycaenidae do not perch with open wings, eastern tailed-blues sometimes bask with their wings at a 45 degree angle.
Eastern tailed-blues have an unusual relationship with ants. The caterpillars have evolved ways to overcome predation by ants by secreting substances from specialized organs or glands that deter, attract, appease, or reward ants.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
