Great Purple Hairstreak
Atlides halesus (Cramer, 1777)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: Hindwing with one short and one long tail. Abdomen is blue on top, red-orange beneath. Upperside black with wide-spread iridescent blue. Underside black with iridescent gold markings near tails.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 2 inches (3.2 - 5.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch on treetops or other tall objects in the afternoon, watching for receptive females. Caterpillars eat leaves and male flowers of the host plant. Chrysalids hibernate in crevices at base of host tree or under loose bark.
Flight: Three flights from March-December.
Caterpillar Hosts: Mistletoe (Phoradendron species) growing on several tree species.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including goldenrod, Hercules club, shepherd's needle, sweet pepperbush, and wild plum.
Habitat: Oak woods, mesquite forests, planted walnuts in agricultural or suburban areas, and mixed woods infested with mistletoe.
Range: Guatemala north to central California, east through Texas and southern Missouri to Maryland.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 409 - 432 of 1326 verified sightings
Observation date: Feb 25, 1978
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Nov 04, 2012
Submitted by: miguelleugim
Region: Texas, Parker County, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Nov 19, 2012
Observation date: Sep 23, 2012
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: De Soto Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 14, 2012
Observation date: Nov 06, 2012
Submitted by: swedalswines8
Region: Nassau County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 07, 2012
Observation date: Oct 02, 2012
Submitted by: rogerdowner (Rita Adkins)
Region: Menifee County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 30, 2012
Observation date: Sep 23, 2012
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Lincoln County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 30, 2012
Observation date: Oct 21, 2012
Submitted by: S. J. Stedman
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Oct 21, 2012
Observation date: Sep 27, 2012
Submitted by: Englishman
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 04, 2012
Observation date: Sep 20, 2012
Submitted by: curtis.lehman
Region: Harris County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 02, 2012
Observation date: Sep 29, 2012
Submitted by: Peg Lucas
Region: Mercer County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 30, 2012
Observation date: Sep 09, 2012
Submitted by: lindayaks
Region: Apache County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 26, 2012
Observation date: Sep 23, 2012
Submitted by: Doug Bruce
Region: Overton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Sep 24, 2012
Observation date: Aug 19, 2012
Submitted by: Dannrobin
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 24, 2012
Observation date: Sep 16, 2012
Submitted by: Rose A. Payne
Region: Georgia, Taylor County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Sep 21, 2012
Observation date: Sep 11, 2012
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Dorchester County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 16, 2012
Observation date: Sep 09, 2012
Submitted by: rconnorsphoto
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Sep 12, 2012
Observation date: Sep 06, 2012
Submitted by: rconnorsphoto
Region: Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Sep 11, 2012
Observation date: May 20, 2012
Submitted by: jeffmci9
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Aug 31, 2012
Observation date: May 24, 2009
Submitted by: Harry Forbes
Region: Calhoun County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Aug 15, 2012
Observation date: Jun 29, 2012
Submitted by: garnerbob
Region: Union County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: lorispencer
Verified date: Jul 29, 2012
Observation date: Jun 12, 2012
Submitted by: Joshua Spence
Region: Murray County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 26, 2012
Observation date: Jul 17, 2012
Submitted by: paulp
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 21, 2012
Observation date: Jul 12, 2012
Submitted by: Kaleana
Region: Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 14, 2012
Observation date: May 11, 2012
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Emanuel County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 09, 2012
- ‹ previous
- 18 of 56
- next ›