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Giant Silk
Moth Survey

EDWARDS' HAIRSTREAK (Satyrium edwardsii)

Identification
Light-gray brown above usually with a small orange spot on the trailing hindwing and one small tail. Underside of hindwing is pale gray-brown with a postmedian band of disconnected oval spots circled in white. The blue hindwing spot is usually topped with a thin orange crescent.

Massachusetts Butterfly Club photographs

Kaufman's Butterflies of North America, page 94
Glassberg's Butterflies Through Binoculars, plate 18

Habitat in Vermont
Pitch pine-oak-heath (rare habitat for this state)

Host Plant
Scrub (or bear) oaks (Quercus ilicifolia)

Adult Food Preferences
Nectar from various flowers including Dogbane (Apocynum sp.), Goldenrod (Solidago sp.), Meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia), Milkweeds (Asclepias sp.), New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus), Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), and White Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba).

U.S. Distribution

VBS Distribution


VBS Flight Period
Four Records:
6/25/2002
7/27/2002
7/22/2005

Notes
Edwards’ have specific biological requirements and are confined to low-growth scrub oak habitats. Nearby ant colonies, (almost exclusively Formica integra) provide protection for the larvae in exchange for secretions. They also build shelters at the base of host trees where the caterpillars rest during the day and escort the caterpillars when they feed
at night. Look for the white-ringed ovals on the hindwing below.

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