Veined Blue (Plebejus neurona [Skinner])
Wing span: 3/4 - 7/8 inch (2 - 2.2 cm).
Identification: Has no blue color. Upperside dark brown with orange veins and submarginal bands. Underside white with black spot pattern and red-orange submarginal bands.
Life history: Eggs are laid singly on leaves of host plant, which caterpillars eat. Second-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: One or two broods from May-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Wright's buckwheat (Eriogonum wrightii) in the buckwheat family.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Rocky outcrops, hills, and ridges in the mountains.
Range: Very local in southern California: Walker Pass, Kern County, Tehachapi Mountains, mountains of San Bernardino County.
Conservation: All populations are of conservation concern.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
