he Northern Blue (Plebejus idas), is what lepidopterists refer to as a complex, or group of butterflies, with about a dozen different subspecies found in northern parts of the United States, including Alaska.
The subspecies in the Great Lakes region, especially those living in Wisconsin and Michigan are considered endangered or threatened.
The top picture shows a side view of the male with the characteristic dark spots on the wings (smaller on the bottom wing). Both the top and bottom borders of the wings have orange marks.
The female in the bottom picture shows the characteristic brown wings with orange marks on both the top and bottom wing borders. The top of the male's wings are blue without the orange marks.
