North American Butterflies and Moths List

The definitive website on wildbirds & nature




The Registry of Nature Habitats

U.S. Geological Survey


Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Colorado

Behr's Hairstreak (Satyrium behrii)
JPG -- species photo


Behr's Hairstreak (Satyrium behrii [W. H. Edwards])

Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).

Identification: Tailless. Upperside orange with wide brown borders on forewing. Underside of male brown, female brownish-white; both with postmarginal and submarginal lines of irregular small black spots.

Life history: Males perch on shrubs to watch for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves or twigs of host plant; they hibernate and hatch the following spring. Caterpillars eat leaves.

Flight: One flight from June-July.

Caterpillar hosts: Antelope brush (Purshia species) and mountain- mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) in the rose family (Rosaceae).

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Sagebrush scrub, juniper-pinyon woodland, brushland, pine woodland, chaparral.

Range: Local within its range. Western Texas north and west through New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California to British Columbia.

Conservation: Not usually required.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.

References:


Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford  University Press, 

    Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.



Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies.  Houghton-Mifflin Co., 

    Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:


Brown, F.M., Eff, J.D., and B. Rotger. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Denver 

     Museum of Natural History, Denver.



Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. 

     University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.



Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 

     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp. 



Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised 

     edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.



Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. 

     Privately published, Denver, Colo.



Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. 

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.

Behr's Hairstreak (Satyrium behrii)
distribution map
map legend

Disclaimer
Return to species list
Return to Butterflies of North America main page