Great Purple Hairstreak
Atlides halesus (Cramer, 1777)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: Hindwing with one short and one long tail. Abdomen is blue on top, red-orange beneath. Upperside black with wide-spread iridescent blue. Underside black with iridescent gold markings near tails.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 2 inches (3.2 - 5.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch on treetops or other tall objects in the afternoon, watching for receptive females. Caterpillars eat leaves and male flowers of the host plant. Chrysalids hibernate in crevices at base of host tree or under loose bark.
Flight: Three flights from March-December.
Caterpillar Hosts: Mistletoe (Phoradendron species) growing on several tree species.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including goldenrod, Hercules club, shepherd's needle, sweet pepperbush, and wild plum.
Habitat: Oak woods, mesquite forests, planted walnuts in agricultural or suburban areas, and mixed woods infested with mistletoe.
Range: Guatemala north to central California, east through Texas and southern Missouri to Maryland.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 73 - 96 of 1342 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 08, 2020
Submitted by: botanist61
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Mar 08, 2020
Submitted by: botanist61
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2022
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 13, 2022
Observation date: Aug 23, 2020
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 08, 2022
Observation date: Oct 03, 2022
Submitted by: Emilie24
Region: Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Jan 15, 2016
Submitted by: Nick Moore
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: StacyN
Region: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: MrJJSparks
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2022
Submitted by: Margie Labadie
Region: Accomack County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: lprdshrk
Region: Solano County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 27, 2022
Submitted by: Beast_Lord
Region: Cotton County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 28, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2022
Submitted by: Honu Green
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 14, 2021
Submitted by: Teamdean
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Oct 08, 2021
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Suffolk, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2021
Submitted by: Jasonk03
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 16, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: Marty Silver
Region: Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 12, 2022
Observation date: May 11, 2022
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: Apr 28, 2022
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 06, 2022
Observation date: Apr 24, 2022
Submitted by: guy_incognito
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 24, 2022
Observation date: Apr 14, 2022
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 16, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 12, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 4 of 56
- next ›