Hairstreaks! (and one cool Elfin)

Hairstreaks are easily my favorite group of butterflies.  While they are definitely not as readily noticed as some of the larger, flashier butterflies, hairstreaks are quite striking when you take the time to look at them up close.  Looking at them up close, however, can prove to be difficult.  And by difficult, I mean tremendously frustrating.  Not only are hairstreaks on the small side for butterflies, they are also on the skiddish side for butterflies.  And if they don't simply fly off at your slow, methodical, rocks-grinding-into-your-knees approach, they will position their bodies in a manner which makes taking a photograph completely useless.  Useless unless you are aiming to take a photograph of a hairstreak butterfly slanted sideways with its wing edges facing you....they also seem to know how to position themselves so that the sunlight is coming from directly behind them.

But really, I love hairstreaks!  These butterflies are members of the family Lycaenidae, the Gossamer-wing Butterflies.  These little lepidopteran gems are known for their small size (as noted above) and wings typically featuring brilliant colors of blue, red and orange.  According to Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA), there are 13 recorded species of Hairstreaks in Missouri, some pretty common, others quite rare.  There are 2 species of Elfin (we'll talk about elfins later on).

While I haven't seen all 13 species found in Missouri (yet), I have been lucky enough to meet a few of them. The most exciting Missouri Hairstreak find for me so far has been the Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus).  Just take a look at this beauty....

Juniper Hairstreak nectaring on Wild Hyacinth

 Like many hairstreaks, the caterpillars of the Juniper are very picky eaters; being specific to only one host plant.  In this case, Eastern Red Ceder.  Adults do not typically travel far from cedar trees and apparently do not visit flowers as frequently as some other hairstreaks.  I've found them to be pretty easily found in the vicinity of cedars when there is abundant nectar sources.  The specimens pictured here were both photographed in small glades bordered by cedar trees.  Wild Hyacinth, Rose Verbena, and a few other wildflowers were very abundant.

Have you seen any metallic green butterflies lately?

Red-banded Hairstreak, locally abundant in the Missouri Ozarks

 Another hairstreak I've had the pleasure of meeting (very frequently this season, in fact) has a very fitting name.  I am honored to introduce to you, the Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops).  This hairstreak is very easily recognized among hairstreaks for its bold red wing band.  This species is also interesting in that the caterpillars not only feed on living plant tissue (that of various Sumac) but they also feed on decaying plant material.



I wish I could say that every hairstreak was flashy and easily identified.  But what would be the fun in that?There are quite a few seemingly boring (look at them closely before judging them!)  "gray" hairstreaks that take a keen eye to differentiate.  Let me show you what I mean...

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album)

The two hairstreaks pictured above can look extremely similar at a distance and even trick you when looking up close if you don't know what to look for.  The Gray Hairstreak is rather common, having at least 50 larval food plants, even including corn!  This species can be seen from March through November in Missouri.  The White-M Hairstreak, on the other hand, is considered "local and rare" in Missouri.  This species has a similar flight date, shorter only by 1 month.  White-M caterpillars feed only on oaks.  So by now I'm sure you've detected the differences in these two species in the photos above.  One dead give-away to ID'ing the Gray is the fact that its "postmedian band" (the innermost wing band) is white with a black and orange inward border.  Go back and look. See it?  White.  Black. Orange.  This can help distinguish the Gray from several similar looking "gray" hairstreaks.  Take a look at the White-M.  Its post median band is only white and black.  See the "M" or "W" formed in that band as well?  Some other hairstreaks can have a similar looking zig-zag.  The feature that helps set the White-M apart would be the white spot present on the underside of the hind wing, go check it out in the pic above.   See, not so bad after all.


So, I'm still working on meeting all of Missouri's Hairstreaks.  But I have been able to see a few other neat species in Georgia.

Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium lipaprops)

Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus halesus) caterpillars feed on the parasitic plant Mistletoe

King's Hairstreak (Satyrium kingi) holds the record for my most amazing hairstreak find to date; this was the first recorded sighting of this hairstreak in Chatham County, GA (and the entire coast of GA) since ~1960.

Last, but definitely not least, I wanted to show you another neat butterfly grouped in with the hairstreaks, Henry's Elfin.  While the Elfins are not as flashy as the Hairstreaks, they are still cool in my book.   Check this one out.

Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici) perched on Redbud leaves

 

Henry's Elfin caterpillars can be red

Henry's Elfin is likely to be the first of the Hairstreak/Elfin family to be seen in Spring, and it is a common site in Missouri if you are paying attention to small brownish butterflies.  And check out the caterpillars; they feed primarily on Redbud.

Henry's Elfin caterpillars can be green

So can you see why Hairstreaks are my favorite butterflies?  Next time you are out, don't be so quick to dismiss the small, grayish, brownish, skiddish, typically-uncooperative-during-a-photograph butterflies, you might end up seeing a hairstreak!


Check out the best butterfly field guide to the Missouri/Kansas-City region HERE

Consider reporting butterfly observations to BAMONA