Juniper Hairstreak

Here's a butterfly I had only photographed once before, the Juniper Hairstreak. (I do see their (appropriately named) Red-banded Hairstreak cousins fairly regularly.) I was pretty sure I had a Juniper Hairstreak when I saw the green on it; there's only one other green hairstreak in NJ, and that one is usually seen in the southern part of the state.

I wondered if I processed this picture incorrectly when I saw pictures of much greener Juniper Hairstreaks elsewhere on the web, but it does sound like there are color variations, and tend to get browner with age. (If this one had been a little older, I might not have recognized it as a JH.)

I take pictures in "raw mode", then use software to try and get the best image before producing the pictures you see. In theory this gives me more ability to correct lighting, centering, and zoom limitations in the original photo, but I could also change an image to look much different than what I actually saw.

It sounds like the Eastern Redcedar is one of its most important host plants in this area. This is a species of juniper tree, which is how the Juniper Hairstreak got its name.

June 1, 2022 at the Plainsboro Preserve
Photo 205020320, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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