Bug FAQColorado Hairstreak
Hypaurotis crysalus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The Colorado hairstreak is a small montane butterfly with a wingspan of about 3 to 4 cm. Adults have dark-purple upper wings edged in black, orange spots near the lower outer corners, and a thin tail on each hindwing. It lives in oak scrubland of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, relying on Gambel oak for both adult roosting and caterpillar food.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 3.1 to 3.8 cm (about 1.2 to 1.5 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits oak scrubland in the mountains of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. The species depends on Gambel oak, which adults use for roosting and which provides food for the caterpillars.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on the young leaves of Gambel oak in spring. Adults obtain nutrition from tree sap and probably from honeydew secreted by other insects rather than from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay single eggs in late summer on oak twigs, and the species has one flight period from mid-June to August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in a single flight that usually occurs from mid-June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The Colorado hairstreak is native to oak scrubland of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is the only species in its genus, so there are no close look-alikes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Kansas, California, Pennsylvania.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see the Colorado hairstreak?
Adults fly once a year, typically from mid-June to August.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
Caterpillars feed on the young leaves of Gambel oak in the spring.
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult Colorado hairstreaks drink?
Adults sip tree sap and likely honeydew from other insects rather than visiting flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this butterfly live?
It lives in oak scrubland of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, especially where Gambel oak grows.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_hairstreak
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.