Southern Hairstreak (Satyrium favonius [J.E. Smith])
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/2 inches (2.2 - 3.8 cm).
Identification: Two tails on each hindwing. Underside of hindwing gray-brown; blue tail-spot capped narrowly with orange; white-edged black W near inner margin. In peninsular Florida and along the south Atlantic coast, the hindwing has longer tails.
Life history: Eggs are laid singly on host plant twigs and hatch the following spring. Caterpillars feed on leaves, buds, and male catkins
Flight: One flight from March-June.
Caterpillar hosts: Various oaks (Quercus species).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Oak woodlands and edges, oak hammocks in the Deep South.
Range: Southern New England and the Atlantic Coast south to peninsular Florida; west to central Illinois, southeastern Colorado, Arizona, and the Gulf Coast.
