Acadian Hairstreak (Satyrium acadica [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (2.9 - 3.8 cm).
Identification: One tail on each hindwing. Upperside brown-gray. Underside of hindwing gray; blue marginal spot is capped with orange; row of orange submarginal spots capped with black; round black spots form postmedian row.
Life history: Males perch on low vegetation near host plants to watch for females. Eggs are laid on twigs and hatch the next spring; caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: One flight from June-August.
Caterpillar hosts: Various willow species including black willow (Salix nigra) and silk willow (Salix sericea).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers including butterflyweed, meadowsweet, milkweeds, New Jersey tea, and thistles.
Habitat: Willow-lined streams, marshes, moist woodlands.
Range: British Columbia east to Nova Scotia; south to Idaho, Colorado, the upper Midwest, Maryland, and New Jersey.
