Maine's Rarest Butterflies Will Enchant You

Have you ever stared at a butterfly long enough to let your mind drift while watching their wings drift? It's mesmerizing.

Butterflies are the purest form of transition. From a caterpillar to grow into this colorful winged creature, they have me in awe each and every time I lay my eyes on them!

The state butterfly of Maine is the pink-edged sulphur (colias interior), according to the Press Herald.

I was on a hike with my son this past weekend, and we spotted this rare Maine butterfly!

While we were at a bog, we both noticed the incredible and rare beauty of its wings, so we had to find out what kind of butterfly it was. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the unique Hessel’s hairstreak butterfly, pictured below.

Thomas Elliot via Unsplash

This butterfly is indeed one of Maine's most rare. They are mostly known to live in Southern Maine, so it was surprising that we spotted this little guy a bit further north.

The next on the list of rare butterflies, according to Maine.gov, is the purple lesser fritillary.

Getty Images/Frank Cornelissen

These butterflies are graceful, elegant, and often seen fluttering happily in the air or basking in the sun. What a life!

And don't get me started on metamorphosis, I may not be a butterfly scientist, but

the fact that they undergo a complete transformation is amazing.

They start as an egg, then become a caterpillar, then turn into the amazing chrysalis before finally transforming into a butterfly .It was one of my favorite topics when learning about the world of butterflies in school.

Lastly, we have the crowberry blue butterfly. If you want to see one, you need to start a journey, because they are very hard to spot, according to Maine.gov.

Getty Images/LFLPOL

A blog was created by a woman who was officially "on the hunt for the crowberry". She was able to find this illusive creature, remarking that:

When the butterfly opens its wings, the ivory color and spots are gone, and you are dazzled by a vibrant, iridescent blue that shimmers in colors ranging from brightest azure to royal blue, the back of its body scaled and tufted to match.

Maine is filled with beauty and fluttering butterflies enjoying the nectar of our flowers.

Make sure to research the butterflies you see. They may be the rarest of them all!

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Gallery Credit: Megan