Icaricia shasta, the Shasta blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from the northwestern United States to southern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The wingspan is 20–22 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.Shasta Blue, Butterflies of Canada
The larvae feed on Lupinus lyalli, Astragalus spatulatus, Astragalus calycosus, and Trifolium dasphyllum.Aricia at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
Subspecies There are six subspecies of Icaricia shasta. (Note, or seven in older schemes )
I. s. calchas (Behr, 1867) I. s. charlestonensis (Austin, 1980) I. s. minnehaha (Scudder, 1874) I. s. pallidissima Austin in T. Emmel, 1998 I. s. pitkinensis (Ferris, 1976) I. s. shasta (W.H. Edwards, 1862)
See also I. s. platazul Scott, 2006, later treated as a junior subjective synonym of I. s. minnehaha (Scudder, 1874) per Pelham, 2023 (online catalog)
References
External links Butterflies and Moths of North America: Shasta blue