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 73 - 96 of 1326 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 08, 2021
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Suffolk, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2021
Submitted by: Jasonk03
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 16, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: Marty Silver
Region: Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 12, 2022
Observation date: May 11, 2022
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 14, 2022
Observation date: Apr 28, 2022
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 06, 2022
Observation date: Apr 24, 2022
Submitted by: guy_incognito
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 24, 2022
Observation date: Apr 14, 2022
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 16, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 12, 2022
Observation date: Apr 01, 2022
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 02, 2022
Observation date: Mar 24, 2022
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 30, 2022
Observation date: Sep 06, 2021
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 04, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2021
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2021
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 04, 2022
Observation date: Jul 07, 2021
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 04, 2022
Observation date: Mar 02, 2022
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 03, 2022
Observation date: Oct 20, 2021
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Feb 08, 2022
Observation date: Jan 19, 2022
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 20, 2022
Observation date: Aug 07, 2021
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2021
Submitted by: Naturetreker
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 27, 2021
Observation date: Sep 25, 2021
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Dec 10, 2021
Observation date: Dec 02, 2021
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 06, 2021
Observation date: Apr 03, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 23, 2021
Observation date: Oct 29, 2021
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Luna County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 14, 2021
Observation date: Oct 31, 2021
Submitted by: fwbtFlis3
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 11, 2021
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