Red-banded Hairstreak - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)

Butterfly: : Wingspan: ¾ - 1 inch (1.9 - 2.5 cm). Underwing surfaces are light gray-brown with a red or orange band edged with a thin white line that crosses both hind and forewings. Width of the band varies. There is a blue spot and at least one black eyespot near the double tails. Upper wing surfaces differ according to sex: Males are slate gray with no markings; females are gray with iridescent blue scales that are visible in flight.

ID Tip: On ventral wings, there is a conspicuous orange or red-orange band. Zigzags on hindwing.

Egg: Creamy brown, flattened disc. Typically laid on dead leaves located beneath host.

Caterpillar: Pinkish brown with numerous short hairs. Often eats decaying leaves of its host plant.

Chrysalis: Mottled brown and tan. Pellet-shaped. The chrysalis is the over-wintering stage.

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Their zigzagging red/orange bands separate Red-Banded Hairstreaks from all other hairstreaks in the state. They are habitat generalists and occur widely throughout Alabama. These hairstreaks produce several distinct broods. Occasionally, large outbreaks occur when they seem be everywhere. They are common inhabitants of fall-flowering fields. Months later, when dozens nectar amid wild plum blossoms, they are a welcomed sign spring.

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, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

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

High count(s):

107 - Shelby - 4/12/2008
81 - Jefferson - 9/9/2017
62 - Colbert - 4/14/2012

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		5	5	18	81	60	235	456	333	427	291	61	44	28	13	71	24	95	160	84	71	63	31	63	29	73	157	294	361	538	270	226	94	57	30	22	17	4	1	3	2			1

Woodland edges and adjacent open areas.

Sumacs (Rhus spp.), wax myrtles (Morella spp.), and oaks (Quercus spp) are reported in other areas.

In Alabama, sumacs (Rhus spp.) and oaks (Quercus spp.) have been verified. Caterpillars often feed on decaying plant material below the host.

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

Red-banded Hairstreaks nectar from a variety of small flowers. Provide a range of flowers throughout the seasons to ensure that they and other butterflies have on-going nectar sources.

Including oak trees in the landscape is highly beneficial to many butterflies, including Red-banded Hairstreaks.

Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) 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.