There are a lot of butterflies out right now, but I’ve noticed that many people focus on the large butterflies and overlook the smaller specimens. Some of the gems of the butterfly world look at a distance to be just dime sized blobs of gray. One of my favorite groups is the hairstreaks. A slow approach will get you in close to these guys and you must be close to get the full effect of their magnificence. This is a Coral Hairstreak, currently the most abundant hairstreak in the air at Blue Jay Barrens. This specimen is sitting on the unopened blooms of a Butterfly Milkweed,
Asclepia tuberosa. Butterfly Milkweed is a prime spot to watch for this and many other species of butterflies. Although they are usually easy to get close to, a startled individual will shoot away like it was jet powered.
Edwards’ Hairstreaks are especially abundant this year. Hairstreaks all share the same general facial pattern. Fortunately, the wing patterns allow the different species to be easily sorted out.
This is the Banded Hairstreak. I usually find this butterfly by unintentionally scaring it out of the grass in the prairie openings. Its dark gray color and rapid flight make it look like a piece of shale that’s been flipped into the air. They almost always come to rest on an oak, one of their host plants, in and around the prairie openings.
The tiny Eastern Tailed Blue is often mistaken for a hairstreak. This butterfly is so common that anyone who has ever gone outside during the summer has probably seen one.
From the upper side, you’d think it was an entirely different species. It’s really hard to see from a distance, but close up, the white edging really makes it stand out.
Well, not only have I strayed from the topic of hairstreaks, I’ve jumped from butterflies to skippers. I just had to throw in this picture of the persistent male and the female that just concentrated on sipping milkweed nectar. She eventually drank her fill and the couple buzzed off together.
There are a lot of butterflies out right now, but I’ve noticed that many people focus on the large butterflies and overlook the smaller specimens. Some of the gems of the butterfly world look at a distance to be just dime sized blobs of gray. One of my favorite groups is the hairstreaks. A slow approach will get you in close to these guys and you must be close to get the full effect of their magnificence. This is a Coral Hairstreak, currently the most abundant hairstreak in the air at Blue Jay Barrens. This specimen is sitting on the unopened blooms of a Butterfly Milkweed, Asclepia tuberosa. Butterfly Milkweed is a prime spot to watch for this and many other species of butterflies. Although they are usually easy to get close to, a startled individual will shoot away like it was jet powered.
Edwards’ Hairstreaks are especially abundant this year. Hairstreaks all share the same general facial pattern. Fortunately, the wing patterns allow the different species to be easily sorted out.
This is the Banded Hairstreak. I usually find this butterfly by unintentionally scaring it out of the grass in the prairie openings. Its dark gray color and rapid flight make it look like a piece of shale that’s been flipped into the air. They almost always come to rest on an oak, one of their host plants, in and around the prairie openings.
The tiny Eastern Tailed Blue is often mistaken for a hairstreak. This butterfly is so common that anyone who has ever gone outside during the summer has probably seen one.
From the upper side, you’d think it was an entirely different species. It’s really hard to see from a distance, but close up, the white edging really makes it stand out.
Well, not only have I strayed from the topic of hairstreaks, I’ve jumped from butterflies to skippers. I just had to throw in this picture of the persistent male and the female that just concentrated on sipping milkweed nectar. She eventually drank her fill and the couple buzzed off together.
