Palos Verde Blue butterfly

Palos Verde Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis). Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis, is a subspecies of the G. lygdamus (Silvery Blue) species of butterfly found throughout North America.. There are currently 11 subspecies of silvery blue. G. lygdamus palosverdesensis was first described in the 1970s and was distinguished from other G. lygdamus by its faster and early flight, wing color and wing spot patterns. The Palos Verdes Blue (G. lygdamus palosverdesensis) was described in 1977, shortly before it became one of the second groups of butterflies to be listed under the US Endangered Species Act in 1980. It is distinguished from other subspecies of G. lygdamus by its slightly different patterning on the underside of the wing, an earlier flight period, and use of a locoweed (Astragalus trichopodus) as a larval food plant. The distribution of the subspecies as described was the southern slope of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in coastal Los Angeles County. The Palos Verdes blue butterfly was thought to be driven to extinction in 1983 by development of its habitat. Then, in 1994, the butterfly was rediscovered at the Defense Fuel Support Point in San Pedro, which is located on the northern (inland) side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.