White M hairstreak
Parrhasius m-album
The white M hairstreak is a small butterfly that lives among oak trees. Its wings often shimmer near the bottom. Its name comes from the white M-shaped line under its back wings.
Lives in
The eastern and southern United States, from Connecticut to Texas and Florida
Wingspan
3.2 to 4.1 cm (1.3 to 1.6 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat oak leaves, especially of live oak.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 7 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 32 seconds
How big is White M hairstreak compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
White M hairstreak about 12 km/h (7.5 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its wings are about 3 to 4 centimetres from tip to tip.
2
The females are bigger than the males.
3
Its caterpillars are light green, just like the oak leaves they eat.
you asked
Most asked questions about White M hairstreak
?What does the white M hairstreak eat?
Its caterpillars eat oak leaves.
?How big is the white M hairstreak?
Its wings are about 3 to 4 centimetres from tip to tip.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Parrhasius m-album
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Lycaenidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Lycaenidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Parrhasius m-album (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by leppyone. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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