Subject: Butterflies
Location: Eastern Tennessee
April 3, 2014 11:39 am
HI,
These beauties were in abundance on April 2nd in the Martha Sundquist State Forest, and I would love to know what they are.
Thank you for your time,
Signature: R.G. Marion
Dear R.G. Marion,
The best we can do at this moment is to provide a subfamily. These are Lycaean Blues in the subfamily Polyommatinae, and according to BugGuide they might be considered as a tribe. There are many similar looking species and subspecies classified as Blues. The Lycaean Blues were among author Vladimir Nabokov’s favorite butterflies, and he wrote about clouds of Blues gathering at puddles in the spring, exactly what your image documents.
Thank you so much for your timely reply; it is most appreciated.
R.G.