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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of North Carolina

Hessel's Hairstreak (Callophrys [Mitoura] hesseli)

Hessel's Hairstreak (Callophrys hesseli [Rawson & Ziegler])

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

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.

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.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: 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.

References:


Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the  Great Plains. Johns 

    Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.



Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern  butterflies. Peterson 

    field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co.,  Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.



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

    Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:


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

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

     

Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format.

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.     

Hessel's Hairstreak (Callophrys [Mitoura] hesseli)
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