Great Purple Hairstreak
Atlides halesus
The caterpillar absorbs toxins from its mistletoe diet, making both the larva and adult unpalatable to birds.
- Scientific name
- Atlides halesus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Lycaenidae › Atlides
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Oak woodlands, mixed pine-hardwood forests, and orchards where mistletoe is abundant.
- Diet
- Adults feed on floral nectar; caterpillars feed exclusively on mistletoe (Phoradendron species).
- Range
- North America, United States, Mexico
- Size
- Wingspan of 3.2 to 5.1 cm
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 weeks as an adult
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, loss of mature host trees, and widespread removal of mistletoe.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This beautiful butterfly poses no threat to humans. Observe from a safe distance of 1-2 meters to avoid startling it. If it lands on you, remain still; do not touch its delicate wings as this can rub off the scales necessary for flight.
The great purple hairstreak ( Atlides halesus ), also called the great blue hairstreak , is a common gossamer-winged butterfly species in parts of the United States. It is actually a Neotropical species; its North American range only includes the warm-temperate and subtropical parts of that continent, and it ranges southwards almost to the Isthmus of Panama. The type specimen, however, was shipped to Europe from the Colony of Virginia, probably around the time of the United States Declaration...
Photo: John Rosford, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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