Summer azures have been uncommon this year, but I did get a photo of this one. I got a view of the spectacular blue dorsal surface of the wings, but I was not fast enough to get a photo of it.
This is the second most common blue butterfly in Iowa, and it can be easily separated from the eastern tailed-blue by it s flight pattern–this one flies into the trees, and the eastern tailed-blue almost always stays near the ground.
Scientists are still sorting out the azure complex–this one is called Celastrina neglecta. My opinion is that this is a distinct species from the spring azure, C. ladon, but the scientists are still arguing.
The roused bear 