Coral Hairstreak - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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Like all hairstreaks in the satyrium genus, Coral Hairstreaks produce only one brood per year. They are the sole tail-less species within this group. Males engage in typical hairstreak perching behavior, aggressively darting out to search for females and then returning to the same spot.

Coral Hairstreaks often use Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) as their host plant. Eggs are generally deposited near the base where they spend the winter. Caterpillars are suffused with red, which enables them to blend with Black Cherry leaves and stems that are also suffused with red. They eat at night, spending the day near at the base of the host tree. At dusk they crawl up the tree (often a sapling) to feed. Coral Hairstreak caterpillars are typically tended by ants, which are attracted and rewarded by the caterpillars’ sugary secretions. Chrysalides are formed in the leaf litter. and adults generally emerge in May and June. Butterfly Milkweed is a nectar magnet for Coral Hairstreaks, and their flight typically coincides with its first bloom time. One of the best ways to search for Coral Hairstreaks is to locate patches of orange milkweed flowers along deciduous woodland edges.

Coral Hairstreaks range across much of the continental United States. In Alabama, they are known from the upper half of the state.

Distribution and Abundance

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Bibb, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marshall, Randolph, Shelby

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

33 - Cleburne - 6/1/2019
22 - Cleburne - 6/3/2017
22 - Cleburne - 5/28/2024

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
																	1	23	74	159	38	4	2

Habitat

Openings near woodland edges, old fields, second growth and shrubby open areas, sandhills, . Seldom in deep forests.

Coral Hairstreak (*Satyrium titus*)

County

© Sara Bright

Woodland edge with Black Cherry sapling

Host and Nectar Plants

Reports from other states list a variety of cherries and wild plums (Prunus spp.) as Coral Hairstreak hosts.

The following has been documented in Alabama:

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) - Host Plant

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Landscaping Ideas

If Coral Hairstreaks are in the vicinity, they will be drawn to plantings of Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa).

Including Black Cherry trees in the landscape may provide host sites for these hairstreaks as well as Red Spotted Purples. Small trees and /or saplings are often chosen.