Icaricia lupini
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Icaricia lupini, the lupine blue, is a species of butterfly in the subfamily Polyommatinae of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from south-western Canada, south through much of mountainous and intermountain western United States and high plains to northern Mexico.
The wingspan ranges from 17–29 mm across various sources. The eggs are laid on or near the flowers of their host plants, which the larvae proceed to eat the fruits, flowers, seeds, and leaves of; despite their common name, their host plants are buckwheat species in the genus Eriogonum, such as Eriogonum umbellatum and Eriogonum fasciculatum. They survive winter by undergoing hibernal diapause in the L2 instar.
Adults feed on the flower nectar of several genera, including their buckwheat hosts, composites, and onions. Across most of its range, there are several generations of adults from March to July. Adults are on wing in one generation from June to August in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California, June to July on the Canadian Prairies, May to August in British Columbia, May to September in Colorado, and from May to August in Washington and Oregon.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lupine Blue sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 134th most-seen of the 354 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April, June and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lupine Blue in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, May and July–September, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lupine Blue sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Lupine Blue sightings, Saguaro National Park ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%), Glacier National Park (United States, about 10%) and Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Lupine Blue that you can see in Saguaro National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Marine Blue (about 20%), Ceraunus Blue (about 20%) and Reakirt's Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lupine Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Saguaro National Park (18 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
