Leptotes marina - Marine Blue
Marine Blue - Leptotes marina - female on host Plumbago in my backyard garden in Long Beach, CA. August 29, 2008.
Leptotes marina - Marine Blue
Marine Blue male at Caribou Creek near Big Bear. July 18, 2005.
Leptotes marina - Marine Blue
I have come to not pay much attention to these common blues in the garden or on hikes (they seem to be everywhere I go), but this one was really fresh so I grabbed my camera and it posed for me for several minutes. July 13, 2019.
Leptotes marina - Marine Blue
Marine Blue on host Plumbago in my garden. September 7, 2008.
Leptotes marina - Marine Blue
Marine Blue egg on host Plumbago in my garden. October 3, 2008.
egg of Leptotes marina - Marine Blue
A 200x magnification of a Marine Blue egg, also on Plumbago in my garden, but 12 years later. September 23, 2020.
Leptotes marina - Marine Blue larva
A tiny Marine Blue larva on host Plumbago, September 7, 2008. I got what I was hoping for when I put these plants in about a year ago: to attract the butterfly and watch the life cycle. I planted two of the fast-growing Plumbago and they quickly grew to pretty large bushes. They're very attractive to Marine Blues; I see several every day now.
Leptotes marina - Marine Blue larva
A different Leptotes marina caterpillar - they can vary quite a bit. October 1, 2020. Twelve years later, same plants, still a great host for this butterfly.
Pupa of Leptotes marina - Marine Blue chrysalis
To get a chrysalis of this blue, I reared a larva in a cup to maturity (the one pictured immediately above) and let it pupate there. I've never been able to find one in the garden otherwise. October 5, 2020. This was a small pupa, approx. 9mm long (3/8"). The pupa is below.

©Dennis Walker