Hessel's Hairstreak Callophrys hesseli (Rawson & Ziegler, 1950)

Family: Lycaenidae

Subfamily: Theclinae

Identification: Two tails on hindwing. Underside blue-green; white spots surrounded by patches of red-brown. Forewing's costal white spot is set inward of the other spots in postmedian row.

Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/8 inch (2.5 - 2.8 cm).

Life History: Males perch at tops of host trees to seek receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on terminal growth of host tree; caterpillars eat new growth and older foliage. Chrysalids hibernate.

Flight: One flight in late May in New England, two flights from April-July in the south.

Caterpillar Hosts: Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) in the family Cupressaceae.

Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including swamp milkweed, shadbush, sand myrtle, sweet pepperbush, highbush blueberry, buttonbush, and dogbane.

Habitat: Coastal plains swamps and stream banks, associated barrens.

Range: Southern Maine south along the Atlantic coastal plain to northern Florida on the Gulf Coast.

Conservation: Most populations are small and local. All are worthy of being conserved.

NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).

Management Needs: Maintain different successional stages of white-cedar swamps and prevent loss of white-cedar stands.

Comments: NULL

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Verified Sightings

Displaying 145 - 161 of 161 verified sightings

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Observation date: unknown

Submitted by: legacy.reporter

Region: Tyrrell County, North Carolina, United States

Verified by: legacy.verifier

Verified date: Dec 31, 2004

Butterflies and Moths of North America

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Hessel's Hairstreak Callophrys hesseli (Rawson & Ziegler, 1950)

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Hessel's Hairstreak
Callophrys hesseli (Rawson & Ziegler, 1950)