Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies... Edwards Hairstreak
Edwards Hairstreak
Satyrium edwardsii
There were two Edwards Hairstreaks along Phantom Lake road feasting on Butterfly weed.
This was another first time sighting of this type of Hairstreak in Crex Meadows.
When I approached, the pair split up and I photographed them seperately.
This one was pretty fresh with well defined rings on its upper wing.
The Edwards Hairstreak is sometimes confused with the Banded Hairstreak. Look for the upperwing circles having seperation from each other and the ring is bordered with white all around.
This is the second Edwards Hairstreak which took off and landed across the road from where the pair of them were feasting on Butterfly weed nectar.
This second Edwards Hairstreak is much more worn than the first one. But the rings on the upper wing are still defined enough to see the seperation and white bordering.
These two pictures were taken July 15, 2008
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (3 - 3.8 cm).
Caterpillar Hosts: Scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and occasionally black oak (Q. velutina).
Eggs are laid in bark crevices of young hosts. Young caterpillars eat buds during the day. Older caterpillars eat leaves at night and hide during the day in ant nests at the base of the host tree. In return for protection, the ants feed on honeydew produced by the caterpillars; an example of mutualism between these caterpillars and ants.
Habitat: Oak thickets in rocky open habitats including sand barrens, shale barrens, and limestone ridges.
Picture above right and picture below taken July 15, 2008
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | (Arthropods) |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | (Hexapods) |
| Class | Insecta | (Insects) |
| Subclass | Pterygota | (Winged Insects) |
| Order | Lepidoptera | (Butterflies and Moths) |
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea | (Butterflies) |
| Family | Lycaenidae | (Gossamer Winged Butterflies) |
| Subfamily | Theclinae | (Hairstreak) |
| Genus | Satyrium | |
| Species | edwardsii | (Edwards' Hairstreak) |
Below is a location map where I have spotted Edwards Hairstreaks on Crex Meadows. If the map is not showing, you do not have javascript enabled on your computer.