top of page
Ancilla
Blue
Euphilotes ancilla
AKA Rocky Mountain Dotted Blue
Size: Up to 0.85 inch wingspan
Key ID features: Small. Male blue above with narrow dark wing borders. Female dark brown above with variable orange zigzag along trailing margin. Both sexes have checked fringe on FW. Below yellowish-gray with bold black spots, and orange edges to submarginal black spots on HW, often forming solid band.
Similar species: Best told from other Euphilotes blues by host-plant association, location and flight period.
Host plant: Eriogonum
sphaerocephalum (rock buckwheat).
Habitat: Well-drained sites where hostplant grows, including gravelly slopes and roadsides.
Range: Harney County.
Season: Late May to early July
Abundance: Common
Conservation Status: Secure
bottom of page