The Edwards’ Hairstreak is a small to medium-sized butterfly found throughout the eastern United States and in parts of southeastern Canada, especially in oak woodlands and savannas. The upperside of the wings is dark brown. The hindwings have two slender tails, one long and one short, and often a small orange spot just above them. The underside of the hindwings is pale brown with a postmedian band of dark brown oval spots. A prominent light blue patch appears just below the tails, along with a long, narrow orange spot near the inner margin.

 

“Edwards’ Hairstreak” by Jason Forbes, licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Edwards’ Hairstreak Facts

Butterfly Family: Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Theclinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 1/8 – 1 1/2 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Oak thickets in rocky open habitats, including sand barrens, shale barrens, and limestone ridges

 

🪴Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Black Oak (Quercus velutina)

• Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

• Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)

• White Oak (Quercus alba)

• Other native oaks (Quercus spp.)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Edwards’ Hairstreak butterflies feed on nectar from the following native flowers:

• Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)

• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

• Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

• Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

• Dogbane (Apocynum spp.)

• Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

• Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

• Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.)

• Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)

• New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

• Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)

• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

• Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

• Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)

• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)