For the past several summers, I have gone butterfly counting as often as possible. This year is no different. I’ll be back in Arkansas where I made this photo in a few weeks.

Last year in June I was with the usual crew counting butterflies at the “Rick Evans” Grandview Prairie Nature Center near Hope, Ark. It was the best count ever! At least the best in my relatively short career as a butterfly counter.

Prairies are wonderful butterfly habitat, and we saw lots. But the best sighting of the day, for me, at least, was this little beauty. Only two were seen that day. And for me, it was the first ever of this species.

Reakert’s Blues are relatively common in the deeper south: South Texas, Mexico, Central America. But the farther north you go, the less common they become. I feel pretty fortunate to have seen one and gotten a decent photo so far north.

It’s always nice when butterflies sit and pose, but some do not open their wings when they perch. In the case of the Reakert’s, that means the beautiful sapphire of its back and ventral wings is visible only in flight.

Side note: So, yes, I’m determined to finish my 2025 Year in Review, even scandalously late.