Frosted Elfin Butterfly

Caollophrys Incisalia irus

The frosted elfin butterfly occurs predominantly in oak savannah and pine barren habitats, where lupines grow. The adults emerge in the spring and the flight period is usually over by mid-June. Males are territorial and females lay their eggs on the flowering spikes of lupines, prefering ones which are in full sunshine. These behaviours, as well as the cannibalistic behaviour of larvae, all contribute to reduce the effective population size of the species. The frosted flfin butterfly is expirpated in Canada.