The Striped Hairstreak is a brown butterfly that is decorated with a blue dot, a few red spots, and white dashes on its underwings. The undersurfaces are gray/brown. There are two hindwing tails. Numerous bands are outlined in white, giving a striped appearance. The hindwing has an orange-capped blue patch and several red spots near the tails.

 

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Striped Hairstreak Facts

Butterfly Family: Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Theclinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 – 1 1/2 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Deciduous forest openings and edges, prairie streamsides, shaded swamps, and acid barrens

 

Striped Hairstreak Host and Nectar Plants

Host Plants:

  • Black Cherry
  • Chokecherry
  • Black Chokeberry
  • American Plum
  • Wild Plum
  • Blackberry
  • Hawthorn
  • Oak
  • Willow

Nectar Plants:

  • Common Milkweed
  • Goldenrod
  • Meadowsweet
  • Staghorn Sumac
  • White Clover
  • New Jersey Tea
  • Dogbane