Yesterday while visiting a countryside oasis "Pondside Gardens" with my family in SW Manitowoc County at Louis Corners, I saw my first ‘Karner’ Melissa Blue Butterflies. After reviewing the
http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/ site based on the following description I’m 99% certain:
Quote:
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Karners are a small butterfly about one inch in length. Males have a vibrant, silvery blue color on the upper surface of their wings. The upper surfaces of the females’ wings are blue close to the body, fading to grayish-brown towards the edges. The wing undersides of both sexes is light gray to grayish-brown with rows of small black spots. A single row of metallic blue-green, orange, and black spots rims the outer edges of the underside of each wing, but is most distinct on the hind wings. Larvae are small, green, soft-bodied caterpillars that feed only on wild lupine leaves and flowers.
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They were dancing about no more than a few feet above the “Backyard Habitat” nearest to water sources. They looked so beautifully delicate that my mother and I just stood there a few minutes mesmerized. I’ll be on the lookout more for this endangered butterfly. Off hand I can’t recall the names of the owners to this private park, but their known locally for their exquisite collection of Hosta plants.
