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 97 - 120 of 1602 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 23, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Dennis Allen)
Region: Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Feb 26, 2021
Observation date: Aug 30, 2018
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 05, 2021
Observation date: Sep 13, 2018
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Newport News, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 05, 2021
Observation date: Jun 24, 2012
Submitted by: Susan McSwain
Region: Nelson County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 03, 2021
Observation date: Sep 18, 2019
Submitted by: Susan McSwain
Region: Nelson County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Dec 31, 2020
Observation date: Aug 08, 2020
Submitted by: DNADEB
Region: Windsor County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 30, 2020
Observation date: Jun 19, 2018
Submitted by: jrjohnson1221
Region: Marion County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Dec 21, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2019
Submitted by: EdgarPS
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 21, 2020
Observation date: Jun 15, 2014
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Aug 26, 2020
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Sep 06, 2020
Submitted by: doeblerm
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 07, 2020
Observation date: Sep 02, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 10, 2020
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 15, 2020
Observation date: May 14, 2018
Submitted by: Dallasyork97
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Calhoun County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Chris Blomme
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 14, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 14, 2020
Observation date: Apr 21, 2018
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Polk County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 18, 2020
Observation date: Jun 08, 2020
Submitted by: Birder13
Region: Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 11, 2020
Observation date: May 24, 2020
Submitted by: ezettler
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 27, 2020
Observation date: May 03, 2020
Submitted by: nbarrigar
Region: Carter County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: May 26, 2020
Observation date: Mar 29, 2020
Submitted by: Erik Alford
Region: Fulton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 16, 2020
Observation date: Jun 30, 2005
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2015
Submitted by: Tindomul1of9
Region: Queens County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 12, 2020
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