Marine Blue

Leptotes marina

The Marine Blue is essentially a butterfly of the southwestern U.S. and a very rare migrant north and east. In 2008, this species was seen in four counties in Wisconsin. The Marine Blue has also been recorded from Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois, and from as far east as New York and Pennsylvania.

Identifying characteristics

Below both wings of the Marine Blue have bands of pale brown separated by bands of white. The species has no tail, but has two dark submarginal spots.

Similar species

No similar species in Wisconsin.

Habitat

Open, weedy areas, often near waterways.

Flight

Multiple brooded throughout all of its range and flies all year in some areas.

Abundance

A very rare stray in Wisconsin.

Early Marine Blue Sightings

Date	County	Reported by
Jun 15, 2008	Jackson	Ann & Scott Swengel
Jun 16, 2022	La Crosse	Steve Kinyon
Jun 16, 2022	Grant	Mike Reese
Jun 17, 2022	Dane	Jason Sailing
Jun 17, 2022	Dane	Jesse Peterson

Locations