This endemic Hawaiian blue butterfly was flitting around at the Palila Forest Discovery Trail, on the southwest flank of Mauna Kea. This one is, I think, a female with its bright underside and uniformly brown top.
The butterfly is also known as the Koa butterfly, since its caterpillar feeds on that tree. I don’t think Koa trees are found in the trail area, but ‘A‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscosa), an indigenous Hawaiian plant, does grow there and that’s another plant the caterpillar will eat.
Graham's Island 
we’ll be visiting Hawaii (big Island) in January, flying in on Kona side but staying in Hilo. Looking forward to exploring the whole island when we are there! thanks for the lovely photos!
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Enjoy your visit. The humpbacks should be back by then and, hopefully, the lava will still be flowing into the…
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That sounds exciting!
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