Bug FAQHickory Hairstreak
Strymon caryaevorus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adults have a wingspan of about 22 to 35 mm and are seen from June to August. They drink nectar from a variety of flowers, while the larvae eat leaves of hickory, butternut, oak, ash and hawthorn.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hindwing bears a single tail.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 22 to 28 mm and also from 29 to 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species overwinters as an egg. Adults emerge and are on the wing from June to August, producing one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is eastern North America, covering southern Ontario, Minnesota, Iowa and the Appalachian region down to eastern Tennessee.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult Hickory Hairstreaks?
Adults are on the wing from June to August.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of hickory, butternut, oak, ash and hawthorn.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyrium_caryaevorus
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.