Another Of The Hairstreaks

July 20, 2026

Yesterday I did a post about the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Today’s Hairstreak is a similar looking, Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Small, swift flying butterflies, there are around 100 to 139 species of Hairstreaks in North America.

This butterfly is another small one, with a wingspan of 7/8 to 1 1/4 inches, found in the eastern United States. Most butterfly larvae eat living vegetation, this species has a surprise. Its caterpillars feed for the most part on dead or decaying leaves, mainly of sumac and oak.

Seen today on Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens).

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

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