July 17, 2026

Rare creatures around the world. Green in the world of butterflies is one of the scarcest of colors. These greens are created by way of using structural coloration and natural pigments. Wings of the green butterfly are covered with small prism like scales bending and reflecting light, all colors except green get cancelled out. This is structural coloration.

The Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) is one of the very few green butterflies native to Virginia. A tiny butterfly with a wingspan of just one inch. Its single host plant is the Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana).

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