Thicket Hairstreak (Callophrys spinetorum [Hewitson])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: Tailed. Upperside steel-blue. Underside reddish brown; hindwing with white postmedian band which forms a W near tails.
Life history: Males perch in tall trees to find receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on mistletoe and caterpillars eat all external parts of it. Chrysalids hibernate in the mistletoe mass.
Flight: One flight from May-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium species), in the Loranthaceae family, which grow on juniper, pine, and fir trees.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Pinyon-juniper forest, mixed woodland, coniferous forest.
Range: Usually local and rare. British Columbia southeast through Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and into Mexico; south through California into Baja California.
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: Not reported.
References:
Emmel, T. C. and J. F. Emmel. 1973. The butterflies of southern California. Science Series 26. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California. 148 pages, 10 color plates. 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:
Neck, R.W. 1996. A Field Guide to Butterflies of Texas. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas. 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. Tveten, J. and Tveten, G. 1996. Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, TX. 292 pp.