Great Purple Hairstreak - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly ID Thumbnail — Get Identification Help

Great Purple Hairstreaks are Alabama's largest hairstreaks. They spend much of their time in the treetops, where males perch and search for females, and females place single eggs within clusters of mistletoe. Slug-shaped larvae eat flowers and foliage. Mature caterpillars descend trees to form coffee bean-shaped chrysalides under scaly bark or in leaf litter near the base of the tree.

Great Purple Hairstreaks presumably gain some chemical protection from the toxic mistletoe their caterpillars eat. Their orange and black aposematic (warning) coloration appears to advertise that they are unpalatable. However, they also engage in wing rubbing behavior that draws attention to the "false head" markings on their hindwings. Caterpillars are not protectively colored, closely mimicking mistletoe leaves with their thickly rounded shapes and green coloration.

Great Purple Hairstreaks range throughout the southern United States. In Alabama, they are widespread, with records in every season.

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: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Clarke, Colbert, Covington, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Mobile, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington

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

High count(s):

5 - Geneva - 8/8/2023
3 - Shelby - 9/21/2020
2 - Baldwin - 11/27/2021

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			1	2	10	2	7	2	2		1		2		2	2	3	1	6	1	5	2	9	5	11	1	8	12	14	11	12	9	5	3		2		1	5	1

Habitat

Oak woodlands, mixed woods, gardens, and parks infested with mistletoe.

Host Plants

American Mistletoe, parasitic on a range of hardwood tree species, but is most common on various members of the Red Oak group, maples, and members of the pear and plum genera, is the only known host plant. It has been verified in Alabama.

American Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) - Host Plant

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

Landscaping Ideas

Leaving Mistletoe in effected trees may enable Great Purple Hairstreaks to find suitable spots for egg laying.

Great Purple Hairstreaks are attracted to nectar-rich flowers, especially in the fall. A landscape that includes plants like wild plums, sweet pepperbush, Climbing Hempvine, Butterfly Milkweed, Mistflower, goldenrods, asters, and Common White Snakeroot may entice Great Purple Hairstreaks to come down from the treetops.