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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 1326 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 25, 2016
Submitted by: Gillian Duffy
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 05, 2023
Observation date: Jan 03, 2023
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 03, 2023
Observation date: Apr 25, 2021
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: RaisingButterfl...
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
Observation date: Jun 17, 2022
Submitted by: pamelmmc
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 25, 2022
Observation date: Nov 23, 2022
Submitted by: KasiB
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 23, 2022
Observation date: Feb 22, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 29, 2022
Observation date: Oct 27, 2022
Submitted by: ObserverofGod'sart
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 27, 2022
Observation date: Oct 19, 2022
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 20, 2022
Observation date: Mar 08, 2020
Submitted by: botanist61
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Mar 08, 2020
Submitted by: botanist61
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2022
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 13, 2022
Observation date: Aug 23, 2020
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 08, 2022
Observation date: Oct 03, 2022
Submitted by: Emilie24
Region: Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Jan 15, 2016
Submitted by: Nick Moore
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 02, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: StacyN
Region: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: MrJJSparks
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2022
Submitted by: Margie Labadie
Region: Accomack County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: lprdshrk
Region: Solano County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 27, 2022
Submitted by: Beast_Lord
Region: Cotton County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 28, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2022
Submitted by: Honu Green
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 14, 2021
Submitted by: Teamdean
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
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