Alabama Butterfly Atlas

White-M Hairstreaks look plain and brown when placidly nectaring, but when they fly, they deliver a flash of electric blue.  Their upper wing surface is covered with light reflecting scales that create structural, metallic brilliance. These larger-than-average hairstreaks fly throughout much of the year but are rarely found in large numbers. Why this butterfly is so seldom seen is a mystery. Oaks, their caterpillar food source, are abundant in Alabama, and potential habitat is so extensive that intentional searches are difficult. White-M's are almost always found by accident. Perhaps they seem scarce because much of their time is spent high in the canopies of oak trees. When nearby spring-and-summer flowering trees are blossoming, White-Ms have little reason to descend to the ground. During late summer and fall, they are drawn to seasonal wildflowers and may be observed intently nectaring at goldenrods, snakeroots, and thoroughworts.

Females place eggs on twigs or buds of particular species of oaks, Caterpillars eat tender leaves, and their various color forms allow them to blend with young foliage that varies from soft green to red. Coffee brown chrysalides are formed in leaf litter at the tree's base. They are highly camouflaged within a rolled dead leaf. Three broods are produced during the year. 

White M Hairstreaks range throughout the eastern United States, although they are based in the South. They probably occur throughout Alabama.