Really curious what this little guy is! It looks very like a Banded or Edward’s Hairstreak, but missing a whole row of markings. Is it an unusual color form of one of those species? A hybrid? A new species?
See first observation of a similar butterfly from the same location, 7/15/20.

Really curious what this little guy is! It looks very like a Banded or Edward’s Hairstreak, but missing a whole row of markings. Is it an unusual color form of one of those species? A hybrid? A new species?
See second observation of a similar butterfly from the same location, 7/20/20.

Stunned to see this tiny marvel in my favorite local dogbane patch around noon today. I saw a small blue fluttering over the flowers and assumed it was Cupido or Celastrina, but when it landed, I could see the bold ventral pattern and smaller size. The creature was very jittery, startled into the air frequently by the many wasps and bees and by my own movements. On the wing, it flashed clear, pale blue. I managed a couple of poor photos with my phone before it disappeared. I pulled out my DSLR and hunted the area for an hour or so but couldn’t find it again.

The ventral forewing pattern seems to match L. cassius, but apparently there is a “light” form of L. marina, which is a species believed to be a more frequent vagrant?

@hpavulaan @nlblock @spritelink @susanhewitt @nycbirder @maractwin @wayne_fidler @d2b @kennkaufman