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Acacia (Nickerbean) Blue (Cyclargus ammon)

Family: Lycaenidae
FNAI State Rank: S1

Range: Monroe County
Seasonal Occurrence: year-round

Habitat: coastal hammock and pine rockland
Host Plants: pineland acacia (Acacia pinetorum)

This Caribbean species was first found in Florida in 1997. Although elsewhere the nickerbean plant serves as the host plant for this butterfly species, the acacia plays this role in Florida and is the basis for the common name of this butterfly used here.

Information on seasonal occurrence and host plant in Florida is extracted from Glassberg et al. (2000) Butterflies through Binoculars: Florida, Oxford University Press, and Cech et al. (2005) Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide, Princeton University Press.