Acmon blue

Icaricia acmon, the Acmon blue, is a North American butterfly. It ranges mainly in California and Oregon but can also be seen in southwestern Canada and in the Great Plains Region of the United States, with a total range of about 2,500,000 square km. Because of the breadth of its range, it occurs in several different habitats, such as grasslands, fields, shrub lands, forests, and deserts.^[2] Acmon blue was discovered by Pierre Lorquin in 1850, while he visited California during the Gold Rush. It is believed that Acmon Blue was discovered in the San Francisco area.^[3]

Wingspan is between the range of 17-30 mm.^[4] The tops of the wings are blue with dark edges in males and brown in females. Its underside is white with black spots for both sexes and a red-orange band on the hindwing.^[5] Caterpillars are yellow with white hairs and a green stripe down the back.^[4] The Acmon is richly colored, more specifically the females with contrasting rows of red lunules (sometimes fused into a band). Meanwhile, the male's hindwing lunules tend to become pink and may disappear during autumn.^[6]

Like many other lycaenid butterflies, it has a mutualistic relationship with ants, who protect Acmon blue larvae in exchange for honeydew that the larvae secrete.