Mountain-Mahogany Hairstreak (Satyrium tetra [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: One short hindwing tail on males, long tail on female hindwing; may be missing. Upperside brown-gray. Underside is olive-gray with ashy overlay. Postmedian line white; sometimes faint or absent. Spot near tail is gray-blue.
Life history: Males perch on hilltop shrubs or valley host plants to watch for females. Eggs are laid on twigs or leaves, singly or in small groups. Eggs hibernate until spring; caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: One flight from June-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) in the rose family (Rosaceae).
Adult food: Nectar from wild buckwheat and others.
Habitat: Mixed woodlands, chaparral.
Range: Southern Oregon and California west of the deserts through San Diego County into Baja California Norte; in the Carson Range of western Nevada.
