Hessel's Hairstreak - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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Look for Hesssel's Hairstreaks at the tops of Atlantic White Cedar trees. Males perch high in the tallest trees and dart out to investigate anything that moves. Since several males often perch in the same tree, movement by one often incites all the others, and swirling butterflies can be seen until they finally settle to await the next excitement. Unmated females venture to the treetops, but after mating has occurred, they sit lower in trees, away from marauding males. Eggs are deposited on lower branches and/or small trees. Caterpillars are highly camouflaged and look remarkably like scaly Atlantic White Cedar foliage.

Nectaring observations are scarce. Currently, Alabama's populations are known to nectar at Black Titi (Cliftonia monophylla), a prevalent spring-blooming shrub that often grows at the base of the cedars. More observations are needed to determine what nectar sources these rare butterflies use throughout the seasons.

Hessel’s Hairstreaks were not documented in Alabama until 2010 when Sara Bright and Paulette Ogard discovered them near Seminole, Alabama and at what is now called the Perdido River Nature Preserve. The scarcity of Hessel’s Hairstreaks comes as no surprise since they absolutely require Atlantic White Cedars, and Atlantic White Cedar habitat has almost disappeared in our state. These trees were known from four counties in Alabama but have all but disappeared in most. Their lightweight, rot-resistant wood made them an eagerly sought commodity in the past two centuries, and they were harvested almost out of existence. Fortunately, the Perdido River Nature Preserve, a Nature Conservancy holding in Baldwin County, has pristine Atlantic White Cedar habitat and supports a healthy population of Hessel's Hairstreaks. These rare butterflies are rare because their habitat is rare, and should be searched for wherever Atlantic White Cedars still grow.

For more information about Hessel's Hairstreaks in Alabama:

Ogard, Paulette Haywood and Sara Bright. "Searching for Hessel's Hairstreaks in Alabama." Southern Lepidopterists' News 35.2 (2013) 61-64.

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: Baldwin, Escambia