Bog Elfin (Callophrys lanoraieensis Sheppard)
Wing span: 7/8 - 15/16 inch (2.2 - 2.4 cm).
Identification: Very small; tailless. Upperside of females brown; males have more orange. Underside of hindwing has a reduced or obscure pattern and the outer margin is frosted with gray.
Life history: Adults fly around the treetops. First-stage caterpillars bore into pine needles and feed from the inside; older caterpillars eat needles from the outside.
Flight: One brood from mid-May to early June.
Caterpillar hosts: Black spruce (Picea mariana).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Black spruce-tamarack bogs.
Range: Eastern New Hampshire through coastal Maine north to New Brunswick. Isolated populations in eastern Ontario, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia.
Conservation: All populations should be conserved.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management needs: Maintain integrity of bog habitats.
