King's Hairstreak (Satyrium kingi [Klots & Clench])
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (3 - 3.8 cm).
Identification: Hindwing with 1 long and 1 short tail. Underside light brown; hindwing margin indented above second tail; tail-spot blue with an orange cap.
Life history: Eggs are laid singly on host twigs and hatch the next spring. Caterpillars feed on leaf buds and leaves.
Flight: One flight from May-June.
Caterpillar hosts: Common sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria), the only North American native of the sweetleaf family (Symplocaceae).
Adult food: Allegheny chinquapin and sourwood are the only reported nectar sources.
Habitat: Hardwood hammocks, wooded streams, swamp edges.
Range: Maryland south along the Atlantic coastal plain and Gulf states, west to eastern Texas.
Conservation: Listed as a species of special concern in several states. Populations and their habitats should be conserved where found.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
