The hairstreaks tend to saw their wings up and down and have a very whirly flight that help to give them away along paths and in gardens.
Often called Juniper Hairstreak as Eastern Red Juniper is the host plant. Usually if the cedar is present, there is a chance you might find these tiny jewels. They like to hilltop more than some of the other hairstreaks and can be found on gravel roads lined with cedars. This species can have bad years where barely any can be found and other years they can be common. The very rare Hessel's Hairstreak is similar and found only near Atlantic White Cedar.
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Wingspan: 7/8 - 1 inch Flight: Late March until early September |
Likely the most common hairstreak in the United States. They can be found about anywhere flowers are present. These can be quite tame and usually close inspection is easy to do. This is the only hairstreak in the region that will open its wings while perched.
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Wingspan: 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches Flight: Late March until late October |
Because of its small size, it is the most overlooked hairstreak in the region. Can be common is places like hedgerows, overgrown fields, brushy areas and woodland edges. Very common in the coastal plain and it becomes rarer the further north you go.
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Wingspan: 3/4 - 1 inch Flight: Late March until late October |
This tiny blue is very common in weedy fields and lawns. Note that it has tails and the single orange spot on the hindwing. These tend to fly low to the ground unlike the azures listed below. They like to perch with their wings open unlike the azures.
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Wingspan: 3/4 - 1 inch Flight: Early April until late October |
Note the orange spots and tails
Female, summer form, rollover is spring form
Male is bright blue with one orange spot
All the azures tend to fly at eye level or higher making them easy to tell apart from the Eastern Tailed-Blue which flies close to the ground. Azures are very hard to tell apart; actually you need to be an expert in most cases to correctly ID them during spring in the region. Recently, the Atlantic Holly Azure was split from the Spring Azure and it has been found that Summer Azures (next species down) do have a small spring brood. It might be best during spring to call most of the azures you see azure species, as you can see from these ventral photos they tend to look alike.
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Wingspan:
3/4 - 1 1/8 inches Flight: Late February until late May |
The host plant is Flowering Dogwood
As noted above, during spring the ability to tell one azure from another can only be done by experts. Later on when the first azures are in tatters and fresh azures start appearing these are Summer Azures. Summer Azures fly all season due to the wide variety of host plants they eat. Rarely do azures open their wings like the female in the photo at below right.
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Wingspan: 3/4 - 1 1/8 inches Flight: Late April until late September |
Common Butterflies
Page #04
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