This is a long-tailed Pea-blue butterfly captured in our front yard a few days ago. It is a member of the gossamer winged family, and according to Wikipedia it is common in Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australia. Notably missing from this list is our entire hemisphere, let alone Southern California.
So maybe I have this wrong? Perhaps it's a butterfly that bears a striking resemblance to a Pea-blue, but is actually something else? Anyone care to chime in on this?
UPDATE: Rob Modic emails to say that this is almost certainly a Marine Blue, which is very common in Orange County.
Google lens says it's a "Marine Blue" - https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/418756
known in California.
Beautiful photo, BTW!
You beat Steve
😉
Thanks for the credit! Just luck of the timing, FWIW.
Dare I ask who Steve is? (or is that you?)
Not me.
Steve_OH is our resident expert for birds, etc.
It's a lost and asking the way to Nicole Kidman's house.
Because butterflies will steal the soul from your body and fly with it into the sun where they both burn away to nothing as if they'd never been.
Moths are just the same, but they bury your soul on the moon and then lay on the grave until blown away by the cosmic wind.
And dragon flies, aka "the devil's darning needles", will sew your lips shut.
[snake doctors . . .]
Did you know today is International Cat Day?
https://nationaltoday.com/international-cat-day/
Every day is Cat Day, international or national or state city or neighborhood or just household.
Don't believe me? Ask any cat!
Snake doctors.
Geez, this replied to the wrong comment, I am so sorry!
(Kind of funny, though).
I've looked at several photos of both, & am still uncertain.
Where IS Steve, anyway?