Description ²

Probably the most common and widely distributed hairstreak on Martha's Vineyard. Gray ground color, relatively "clean" ventral wing surfaces, TWO orange spots at the margin of the hindwing. Strong bands, composed of bands of white, black, and sometimes orange dashes superimposed on each other, cross the hindwing and forewing, with the hindwing band making a "W" near the orange spots. Three flights periods most years, with the flights sometimes blurring into each other so adults are more or less continuously present. This species can be found as early as mid-April and as late as the beginning of November. Host plants appear to include legumes: Desmodium and Lespedeza. Most common in dry meadows with its host plants, but this species ranges and perhaps breeds quite widely on the Vineyard.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Pelikan
2. (c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
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• Butterflies and Moths of North America
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• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Mass Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

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