Azure Butterflies
There are lots of butterflies in NJ that look similar [1] though most of the time there are subtle differences that allow them to be identified (even if it requires getting a better look than the butterfly provides to you). But I'm not confident this can be done with the Spring Azure , Summer Azure , Lucia Azure , and Appalachian Azure . They (and other) species are small butterflies with light, speckled underwings with (at least for males) bluish-purple upperwings, and without the "tails" and orange spots associated with Eastern Tailed-blues . Although today these butterflies seem to be recognized as separate species in a Spring Azure Complex (where a complex is a set of related species that are difficult to differentiate) there have been times in the past when they were all considered one species with different broods and with regional variations. Having said that, some lepidopterists appear to have detected subtle physical differences between Spring and Summ...