Bug FAQBanded Hairstreak
Satyrium calanus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
Its caterpillars feed on oak, hickory, and walnut trees, especially butternut. Adults appear in a single brood from early June to late August, with eggs laid singly on host plants and hatching in spring.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on oak, hickory, and walnut, especially butternut.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs are laid singly on host plants and hatch in spring.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
There is one generation that flies from early June to late August.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Similar species include Edwards' hairstreak (S. edwardsii) and Hickory hairstreak (S. caryaevorum).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 47 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What trees do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on oak, hickory, and walnut trees, especially butternut.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyrium_calanus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.