Banded Hairstreak - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 - 1½ inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Seldom seen. Male with stigma. Female may have orange patches. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Slate gray. Bands of dark dashes edged in white; blue spot near tail not topped with orange. Two pairs of unequal length tails.

ID Tip: Ventral hindwing has a blue patch that is not capped with orange. Bands of white dashes form bars. Two sets of tails.

Egg: Pinkish brown; flattened disc-shaped. Deposited on twigs, branches, and in bark crevices. The overwintering stage.

Caterpillar: Several color forms: creamy white with a green stripe and green blotches; green with adark brown stripe and yellow lines; light brown with or without lines and dashes. Head light brown. Slug shaped.

Chrysalis: Varying shades of brown; mottled. Bean shaped.

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Banded Hairstreaks fly only once a year and are typically on the wing in early summer. Their genus, satyrium, includes several other species that are also univoltine (single-brooded) and share many physical and behavioral traits. Bandeds are typically the most common of that group, perhaps because their habitat is so common.

Male Banded Hairstreaks are commonly encountered along woodland trails and openings where they strategically perch to watch for females. They are pugnacious territory-defenders, and their aerial dogfights are legendary. Female Bandeds make themselves scarce (perhaps to avoid the onslaught of amorous males) and are most often discovered at good nectaring sites. Butterfly Milkweed and Sparkleberry are two nectar sources. Early mornings and late afternoons are often feeding times.

Caterpillars hatch from eggs that were laid the previous summer and primarily eat young leaves. Several color forms occur, but all are camouflaged with some part of the host. Chrysalides are formed in the leaf litter, and adults emerge, mate, and lay eggs that will hatch the following spring.

Banded Hairstreaks range throughout much of the eastern United States. In Alabama, they are widespread and undoubtably occur in more counties than are currently documented.

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: Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, DeKalb, Escambia, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Pickens, Shelby, St. Clair, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa

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

High count(s):

21 - Cleburne - 6/7/2020
18 - Lawrence - 5/18/2019
11 - Shelby - 5/15/2016

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	3	36	65	68	81	69	8	9	1	1

In and near oak-hickory woodlands, deciduous forests, forest edges,scrubs, sandhills, and hammocks. Must also be near nectar sources.

Banded Hairstreak (*Satyrium calanus*)

County

© Sara Bright

Oak-hickory forest

Reports from nearby states list various oaks (Quercus spp.) and hickories (Carya spp.).

The following have been documented in Alabama:

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

Banded Hairstreaks typically use oaks and/or hickories as their caterpillar hosts. Including oaks in the landscape is highly beneficial to many butterflies as well as other wildlife.

Bandeds, like other hairstreaks, are highly attracted to Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa): its bloom time coincides with their once-a-year flight. Other nectar-rich flowers with small floral tubes and the appropriate flowering time may also attract Banded Hairstreaks. These include Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) trees and Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum).

Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.