Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) is part of the treacherous azure complex, which contains a number of small blue butterflies of the genus Celastrina, and some of the most challenging butterfly species to identify in the field. In spite of its name, Summer Azure actually begins flying in late March in Maryland, and continues, through multiple broods, into October (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith).
This species is very similar to Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) but differs subtly in scale pattern, and males possess androconia scales on the forewings, which ladon lacks. The spring and summer forms of neglecta ('Summer') differ somewhat in the appearance of the underside, with spring individuals more strongly marked with black, while later broods are much whiter. The upperside of neglecta is brighter blue, without the faint milky or violet cast shown by Spring Azure. There is a wealth of information on this confusing complex on Rick Borchelt's blog (https://leplog.wordpress.com/).
Uses viburnums, shrubby dogwoods (Cornus sp.), Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), American Holly (Ilex opaca), Black Baneberry (Actaea racemosa), and many other plants as larval hosts.
There are 866 records in the project database.
| GA | AL | WA | FR | CL | MO | HO | BA | BC | HA | CE | PG | AA | CV | CH | SM | KE | QA | CN | TA | DO | WI | SO | WO |
