California hairstreak
The California hairstreak is a small butterfly that is brown on top and grey underneath. Under its wings it has a row of black spots and orange markings near the edge. Each back wing has two thin tails and a pale blue spot.
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Fun facts
It spends the winter as an egg, waiting for spring.
Grown-ups can be seen from April to September, depending on where they live.
Its caterpillars are not picky at all and can eat many different trees and bushes.
There are five slightly different kinds of it in different places.
Most asked questions about California hairstreak
?Where does the California hairstreak live?
In western North America, from British Columbia in Canada to southern California and east to Colorado.
?When can you see the California hairstreak?
From April to September, depending on the place.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Satyrium californica
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Lycaenidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Lycaenidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Satyrium californica (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 Judy Gallagher. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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