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 193 - 216 of 1326 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 12, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 17, 2019
Observation date: Jul 31, 2019
Submitted by: tamaras
Region: Montezuma County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 04, 2019
Observation date: Sep 19, 2019
Submitted by: Taberd1
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 30, 2019
Observation date: Oct 20, 2017
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: Dec 16, 2018
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Jul 21, 2019
Submitted by: foneal
Region: Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 25, 2019
Observation date: Jul 14, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 15, 2019
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: bobreed1987
Region: Elmore County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 07, 2019
Observation date: Jun 07, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 08, 2019
Observation date: May 27, 2014
Submitted by: jrfleullan
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 03, 2019
Observation date: Jun 01, 2019
Submitted by: Diane R Halpin
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 01, 2019
Observation date: May 24, 2019
Submitted by: Georginav
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 30, 2019
Observation date: May 12, 2019
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 28, 2019
Observation date: May 27, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 28, 2019
Observation date: May 04, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 07, 2019
Observation date: Mar 26, 2019
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Eddy County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 07, 2019
Observation date: Apr 29, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 30, 2019
Observation date: Apr 25, 2019
Submitted by: watrouse
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 27, 2019
Observation date: Apr 26, 2019
Submitted by: IronShikra
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 27, 2019
Observation date: Apr 14, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 15, 2019
Observation date: Apr 11, 2006
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Bartow County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 09, 2019
Observation date: Mar 14, 2019
Submitted by: Aggielacie
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 24, 2019
Observation date: Mar 15, 2019
Submitted by: Hawkfeathyr
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 19, 2019
Observation date: Mar 09, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 14, 2019
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