Summer Azure Celastrina ladon neglecta

Officially its own species now in this difficult but lovely group. The Spring and Summer species overlap in their flight season but later in summer in Arkansas this species is almost it. There is an Appalachian Azure, Celestrina neglectamajor, which occurs in northern Arkansas that is inseparable except by the foodplant it uses which is the Black Cohosh, Cimicifuga racemosa. Appies fly in the early portion of the Summer Azure season. It is likely much rarer even in the northern counties. Summers are bright blue on the inside from edge to edge in males. Females have a gray boundary region.