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Sticker of Sheridan's hairstreak
Bug card No. 3807 of 4,939

Sheridan's hairstreak

Callophrys sheridanii
Eats: Nectar and pollenButterfliesDeserts and dry places6 legs

Sheridan's hairstreak is a small butterfly from western North America. On top its wings are dark grey brown, but underneath they are bright green, with a thin line of white dots. It is the state butterfly of Wyoming.

Lives in
Western North America, from Alberta and British Columbia down to California and New Mexico, on dry hillsides
Wingspan
2 to 2.4 cm (0.79 to 0.94 in)
Top speed
about 9.5 km/h (5.9 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It is a small butterfly that cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
The butterfly drinks nectar from flowers. The caterpillars eat the leaves, flowers and young fruits of wild buckwheat.
For real!Photo of Sheridan's hairstreak
Picture by (c) Toby, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How wide are its wings?

Sheridan's hairstreak wings about 2.4 cm tip to tip (0.94 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
wings as wide as 4 grains of rice in a rowcould fly across a whole football pitch in 40 seconds

How big is Sheridan's hairstreak compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

In 2009 it was chosen as the state butterfly of Wyoming.

2

It lives high up, about 1,800 to 3,000 metres above the sea, on dry scrubby slopes, rocky places and canyon sides.

3

The caterpillars are light green to pink, with two rows of white spots down the back.

4

It spends the winter as a pupa, fast asleep until spring.

5

Males wait in little dips and at the bottom of gullies, looking out for females.

you asked

Most asked questions about Sheridan's hairstreak

?What does Sheridan's hairstreak eat?

The butterfly drinks flower nectar. The caterpillars eat wild buckwheat.

?How big is Sheridan's hairstreak?

Small. Its wings are about 2 centimetres across.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Callophrys sheridanii
Group
Butterflies
Family
Lycaenidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Lycaenidae
Lives on
North America
Also known as
Sheridan's green hairstreak

Where the facts come from

  1. Callophrys sheridanii (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by (c) Toby, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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