Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 7, 2014. For weeks, I'd been trying to catch a photo of one of these tiny butterflies that flash brilliant blue in the bright sun. They never stand still long enough, until I found this one, dead, in the dog's water bowl. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
Wingtip to wingtip, the butterfly might measure an entire inch across. In the sun they look more gray than brown and their blue is iridescent. They particularly like the Plumbago (blue flowers) growing all over the hill.
I am not even going to try to ID this little butterfly. There are a number of blues with brownish wings.
Butterfly resources:
What's That Bug?
Bug Guide
Butterflies and Moths of North America
Butterflies of Orange County (I know Orange County is not LA County, but it has a simple, easy to use photo index.)
*7-10-14, UPDATE: After perusing the blue butterflies found in Los Angeles on What's That Bug?, I submitted the photo and story. The Bugman of Mt Washington thinks it might be a Marine Blue (Leptotes marina). Thanks Daniel!