Observation of the week – July 13-19, 2020

Our seventh OOTW is this Striped Hairstreak, seen by @shadilady near Orangeville.

Hairstreak butterflies are beautiful. Their orange spots and black and white stripes stand out brilliantly against the greyish background of their wings. They can be frustrating to follow as they fly, but then pose nicely as they take a drink from a flower once they land. Many of the species also seem a bit mysterious.

The Striped Hairstreak is considered an uncommon species in Ontario – widely distributed, but never seen in large numbers. It is unknown whether this is because they are genuinely rare or just rarely observed.

Many hairstreaks spend most of their time high up in the trees, only coming down a few times a day to feed. It is suggested that hairstreaks may not get most of their food from flowers, but other sources such as the sugary honeydew produced by aphids and related insects.

So, for every hairstreak seen on a flower at ground level, it is likely that there are more around somewhere nearby. Doesn’t that make you wonder what they are doing?

Hairstreaks can also be tricksters. Like other species, Striped Hairstreaks have ‘tails’ sticking out of the ends of their hind wings. These tails and the surrounding colour patterns look a little like a head. It is thought that this tricks predators like birds into aiming their strikes on the tails instead of at more vulnerable parts of the butterfly’s body. Hairstreaks are often seen rubbing their wings together, which may make the deception seem even more real as the ‘head’ moves.

Do you also love hairstreaks, or is there another group of butterflies that you have a fondness for? Let us know!

Posted on July 21, 2020 03:34 PM by lltimms