northeast-flora-and-fauna

Last spring I met a couple hairstreaks, a Red-banded Hairstreak and a Banded Hairstreak . Or at least I think it's a Banded Hairstreak; the tricky Hickory Hairstreak is notoriously similar. A lot depends on how long you consider that bluish area under the orange spot to be, apparently [1]. The hairstreaks are named for a characteristic that isn't apparent given the precision of my pictures. In most species, the tail (really the end of the abdomen) has small hairs present [2]. Despite the Banded Hairstreak and the Red-banded Hairstreak having similar names, they're in different genera. They're certainly related, but both have closer relatives than each other. Though small, most hairstreaks have a clean/crisp look. Once you see a few of them, you'll probably get a hairstreak vibe when you see the next 1. I've previously shown you other hairstreaks: Gray Hairstreak and Juniper Hairstreak . Red-banded Hairstreak June 15, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve Photo ...

Here's a Gray Hairstreak butterfly, a species I'll usually see 2-4 times a year. They're not considered rare, but there are lots of easier-to-find butterflies. They do cover a lot of territory and are considered the most widespread American hairstreak and can be found in all the lower 48 states, most of Mexico, and parts of southern Canada. As you'd expect with such a widespread butterfly, they're not picky eaters. They use many legumes and mallows  as host plants, sometimes putting them at odds with farmers.  The Gray Hairstreak doesn't have a lot of relatives around here; most of their relatives prefer gulf states down to the tropics. They're the oddballs of their genus, handling colder temperatures that most of their close relatives want no part of. They can overwinter in their chrysalis depending on how cold the winter is; in the northern part of their range they probably die in the winter and repopulate when warmer weather returns. I'm not sure wh...

 Here's a Red-banded Hairstreak . No other butterfly in our area has - wait for it - this particular red band . The hairstreak butterflies have a clean, crisp overall appearance. Most hairstreaks are brown or gray, though some are primarily green. The only other hairstreak that I spot a lot is the Gray Hairstreak. Their are other butterflies in the hairstreak subfamily, many named "elfins". Though related, the elfins don't generally give off the same crisp ambiance. Like the rest of the moths/butterflies, Red-banded Hairstreaks basically only eat as kids (caterpillars); apparently decaying sumac leaves are something they consider a delicacy. As adults they drink heavily instead; nectar is a popular choice. August 15, 2020 at Negri Nepote Native Grassland Preserve