Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorum [McDunnough])
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.9 - 3.5 cm).
Identification: Hindwing with 1 tail. Underside light brown with broad, offset, white postmedian dashes. Hindwing with blue tail-spot and black-capped orange eyespot.
Life history: Males perch high up in trees to wait for females. Eggs hibernate; caterpillars feed on lower surface of leaves.
Flight: One flight from June-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Mostly hickory (Carya); also ash (Fraxinus), chestnut (Castanea), and oak (Quercus) species.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of common milkweed, dogbane, New Jersey tea, staghorn sumac, and white sweet clover.
Habitat: Deciduous forests and second-growth woods in areas of rich soil.
Range: Southern New England west to Minnesota and Iowa, south in the Appalachians to eastern Tennessee.
Conservation: Not usually required, but on sensitive species list for some states.
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: None reported.
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:
Heitzman, J.R. and Heitzman, J.E. 1987. Butterflies and Moths of Missouri. Missouri Dept. of Conservation. Jefferson City, MO. 385 pp. 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.