Edwards' Hairstreak
Satyrium edwardsii (Grote and Robinson, 1867)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: One tail on the hindwing. Underside of hindwing pale brown, with postmedian band of dark brown oval spots; blue tail-spot not topped with orange.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (3 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Males perch on trees to watch for females. Eggs are laid in bark crevices of young hosts. Young caterpillars eat buds during the day. Older caterpillars eat leaves at night and hide during the day in ant nests at the base of the host tree. In return for protection, the ants feed on honeydew produced by the caterpillars.
Flight: One flight from June-July in the north, May-July in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: Scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and occasionally black oak (Q. velutina).
Adult Food: Nectar from various flowers including dogbane, goldenrod, meadowsweet, milkweeds, New Jersey tea, staghorn sumac, and white sweet clover.
Habitat: Oak thickets in rocky open habitats including sand barrens, shale barrens, and limestone ridges.
Range: Eastern United States from southern Canada and southern Maine south to northeast Texas, central Missouri, and northern Georgia.
Conservation: Not usually 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 25 - 48 of 859 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwardss_hairstreak.jpg?itok=dmtrUISA)
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: KenL
Region: James City County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Dec 31, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p1690167.jpg?itok=d65p6-zi)
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 21, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/27496864623_a14604c7c6_o.jpg?itok=6__4I-hO)
Observation date: Jul 05, 2016
Submitted by: B Manning
Region: Polk County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_from_1017.jpg?itok=eppCegJ2)
Observation date: Jun 07, 2018
Submitted by: willstuart2001
Region: Scotland County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_3765_3.jpg?itok=vkrC3kjA)
Observation date: Jul 10, 2012
Submitted by: cjbruchman
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 07, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_indv1_0.jpg?itok=gjb0VTjQ)
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_-_7-17-2020_-_oak_openings_-_lucas_county_ohio.jpg?itok=uysC6wbA)
Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p1150137.jpg?itok=_R5STXV7)
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: jthompson6112
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 22, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_michigan_7-5-20_img_8198.jpg?itok=iGiEXSMF)
Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Allegan County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 17, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_matted_0.jpg?itok=6SZzE1xn)
Observation date: Jul 12, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 14, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_7428edwardshairstreak.jpg?itok=hbt4Ek_-)
Observation date: Jul 07, 2010
Submitted by: rbuist
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jun 17, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_indv1.jpg?itok=_zs2AiXV)
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_spot2.jpg?itok=NSYsxwlQ)
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_matted.jpg?itok=UwRRDh_3)
Observation date: Jul 14, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 16, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_7-7-19_pembroke.jpg?itok=LMBj1_6g)
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: Kzfisherman
Region: Kankakee County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 16, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0975_3.jpg?itok=PDFlBy1m)
Observation date: Jul 14, 2018
Submitted by: Ssneed
Region: Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 14, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20190703010148_img_3599.jpg?itok=8w8hfKId)
Observation date: Jul 03, 2019
Submitted by: Melanie Mack
Region: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 05, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_3100-3.jpg?itok=wU_sNyBw)
Observation date: Jul 14, 2016
Submitted by: sansue
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Apr 23, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_hairstreak_taylor_county_21_may_2011_029.jpg?itok=d2PRXvC8)
Observation date: May 21, 2011
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Georgia, Taylor County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 01, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/edwards_mv_5-23-11.jpg?itok=nTxBC4Cf)
Observation date: May 29, 2011
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Mark Vukovich)
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 05, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/120p_banded_hairstreak_6-23-18_glacial_1.jpg?itok=hmiFs4Wd)
Observation date: Jun 23, 2018
Submitted by: Kzfisherman
Region: McHenry County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 04, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/dscn2227.jpg?itok=_X6aqALj)
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: Nathan R Mast
Region: Coshocton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 25, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_6190_4.jpg?itok=9x4bvLif)
Observation date: Jul 02, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: BGilley
Verified date: Aug 23, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/p1130709.jpg?itok=GzG8fccD)
Observation date: Jul 06, 2015
Submitted by: crx2aj3
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Dec 01, 2017
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