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California Hairstreak (Satyrium californica [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: Each hindwing has 1 long and 1 short tail. Upperside brown with orange spot on hindwing near tails. Outer edge of forewing usually has row of orange spots. Underside brown-gray with orange submarginal crescents and a postmedian band of black spots.
Life history: Males search for females by perching on top of trees (occasionally patrolling). Females lay eggs, glued together in groups of 2-4, in bark crevices. Eggs hibernate until the following spring. Caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: One flight from May-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Amelanchier alnifolia, Prunus virginiana; Cercocarpus, Ceanothus, Quercus, and Salix species.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of wild buckwheat, milkweed, sulphur flower, and others.
Habitat: Chaparral, brushland, forest edges, open woodland.
Range: British Columbia south to southern California and east to Colorado.
Conservation: Valley oak-associated population in California's central valley is threatened by loss of habitat.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: Conserve remaining stands of Valley oak in California Central Valley.
References:
Brown, J. W., H. G. Real, and D. K. Faulkner. Butterflies of Baja California.
1992. Lepidoptera Research Foundation, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. 129 pages,
8 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
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