Harvester
Feniseca tarquinius (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Miletinae
Identification: Upperside has black spots and orange-brown areas surrounded by black. Underside hindwing is orange-brown to orange-purple with small, faint white circles.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 inches (3 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch in sunlight on the edge of leaves, watching for females, then fly back and forth in the area, returning to where they started. Females lay eggs in colonies of woolly aphids and sometimes scale insects or treehoppers because caterpillars are carnivorous on these insects. For protection from ants, some caterpillars feed under a silken mat covered with aphid carcasses.
Flight: Two flights in the north from May-August; three in the south from February-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Woolly aphids (Neoprociphilus, Pemphigus, Prociphilus, and Schizoneura) and sometimes scale insects or treehoppers; these insects suck sap from alders, witch hazel, ash, beech, hawthorn, and wild currant.
Adult Food: Adult\'s short proboscis is suited for feeding on aphid honeydew; they do not sip flower nectar.
Habitat: Deciduous or mixed woodlands along streams.
Range: Eastern United States west to Minnesota, south to central Texas and central Florida. Comments: Only North American butterfly species with carnivorous caterpillars.
Conservation: Not normally required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might 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 1602 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: Susan C. MPMN
Region: Gloucester County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Sep 27, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: rmery
Region: Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 02, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Calhoun County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 14, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2021
Submitted by: webjc13
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Sep 25, 1994
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 22, 2022
Observation date: Jun 10, 2022
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 07, 2022
Submitted by: Heylo
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 07, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: j-capella
Region: Marion County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 19, 2022
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Bennington County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 19, 2022
Observation date: Jun 03, 2022
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: acb22
Region: Sangamon County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 20, 2022
Observation date: May 29, 2021
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Apr 11, 2022
Observation date: Apr 05, 2022
Submitted by: dfvickers
Region: DeKalb County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 07, 2022
Observation date: Mar 31, 2022
Submitted by: Wanda Smith
Region: Texas, Tyler County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 03, 2022
Observation date: Mar 20, 2022
Submitted by: Wanda Smith
Region: Texas, Tyler County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 22, 2022
Observation date: Mar 20, 2022
Submitted by: bjones7777
Region: Shelby County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Mar 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2018
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Apr 05, 2004
Submitted by: Kim Fleming
Region: Abbeville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jan 25, 2022
Observation date: Sep 13, 2021
Submitted by: Quaker state mothing
Region: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 29, 2021
Observation date: May 21, 2018
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Washington County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 05, 2021
Observation date: May 21, 2019
Submitted by: Daniel Taylor
Region: Worcester County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2019
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Washington County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 03, 2021
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