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 145 - 168 of 1326 verified sightings
Observation date: Jan 31, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2015
Submitted by: KristyBaker
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Jun 19, 2017
Submitted by: NCARI
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Sep 01, 2017
Submitted by: girlygirl036
Region: Gates County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2017
Submitted by: LoriMCarlson
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: LoriMCarlson
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Mar 23, 2018
Submitted by: revpaulvet
Region: Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Oct 03, 2020
Submitted by: AJ Trently
Region: Haywood County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Sep 01, 2020
Submitted by: AJ Trently
Region: Hardin County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Nov 04, 2020
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 09, 2020
Observation date: Oct 23, 2020
Submitted by: ReggieGal
Region: Jasper County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 09, 2020
Observation date: Nov 01, 2020
Submitted by: spmaestro
Region: Ellis County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 05, 2020
Observation date: Oct 22, 2020
Submitted by: Reach
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 23, 2020
Observation date: Oct 15, 2020
Submitted by: cjbruchman
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 17, 2020
Observation date: Oct 03, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
Observation date: Sep 26, 2020
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Brooks County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Sep 28, 2020
Observation date: Sep 21, 2020
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Camden County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Sep 24, 2020
Observation date: Aug 24, 2020
Submitted by: JudyLY
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 13, 2020
Observation date: Sep 27, 2019
Submitted by: Dallasyork97
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 07, 2020
Observation date: May 20, 2020
Submitted by: lwhite
Region: Texas, Tom Green County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 06, 2020
Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: J. Trapnell
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 29, 2020
Observation date: Jun 23, 2020
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 25, 2020
Observation date: Jun 17, 2020
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 25, 2020
Observation date: Oct 01, 2016
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 18, 2020
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