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 25 - 48 of 1322 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 04, 2023
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2023
Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: ridgeboy
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 02, 2023
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 25, 2023
Observation date: Aug 21, 2017
Submitted by: BRIAN J MCDONALD
Region: Kane County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
Observation date: Jun 25, 2023
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2023
Observation date: Aug 16, 2023
Submitted by: heather-russell
Region: Guilford County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 17, 2023
Observation date: Jul 07, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 12, 2023
Observation date: Jul 07, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 12, 2023
Observation date: Jun 23, 2023
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2023
Observation date: Jun 24, 2023
Submitted by: Apidologist
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 25, 2023
Observation date: May 16, 2023
Submitted by: LoveButterfly195
Region: Texas, Williamson County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 11, 2023
Observation date: Jun 02, 2023
Submitted by: J Tinsman
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 08, 2023
Observation date: May 23, 2023
Submitted by: Outdoorcrazy123
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 28, 2023
Observation date: Apr 21, 2023
Submitted by: bttfly9@yahoo.com
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 23, 2023
Observation date: Apr 17, 2023
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 18, 2023
Observation date: Apr 02, 2023
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 08, 2023
Observation date: Sep 25, 2019
Submitted by: Markus M
Region: Jalisco, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 25, 2023
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
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 56
- next ›