Leda Hairstreak
Ministrymon leda
This butterfly was photographed along Camp Creek (east of Carefree), Maricopa Co., Arizona. Sept. 2008. It has a wingspan of roughly 23 mm.
Lycaenidae -- Gossamer-winged Butterfly Family
Notice that the specimen below has a clear, beak-shaped wedge missing from the tail region. When perched these butterflies twitch the hind wings drawing attention to the back of the butterfly and it's 'fake' antennae. It appears that the strategy worked this once, but now that the fake antennae are gone, what next?
This butterfly was photographed using a Nikon CoolPix 990 on 25 Aug. 2002 n. Carefree, Arizona while visiting flowers of Catclaw Acacia.
Leda Ministreak frequents flowers of Catclaw Acacia (Acacia greggii) and Mesquite. The caterpillar feeds on the foliage of these and related plants.