Oak Hairstreak

Fixsenia favonius · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Oak Hairstreak
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY

The oak hairstreak has a wingspan of about 22 to 38 mm. Its caterpillars eat oak leaves, buds and male catkins, and the species spends the winter as an egg.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 22 mm to 38 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

The species overwinters in the egg stage.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, New Jersey, Kansas, Ohio.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Oak Hairstreak photo 3
Photo: Morgan Hay, CC BY
Oak Hairstreak photo 4
Photo: john_hall, CC BY
Oak Hairstreak photo 5
Photo: Kristof Zyskowski, CC BY
Oak Hairstreak photo 6
Photo: Aubrey French, CC BY

Questions people ask

What do oak hairstreak larvae eat?

They feed on oak leaves, buds and male catkins.

Source: Wikipedia

How does the oak hairstreak survive winter?

It overwinters as an egg.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Lycaenidae)

Common BlueCommon BluePolyommatus icarusGray HairstreakGray HairstreakStrymon melinusSmall CopperSmall CopperLycaena phlaeasEastern Tailed-BlueEastern Tailed-BlueEveres comyntasHolly BlueHolly BlueCelastrina argiolusLesser Grass BlueLesser Grass BlueZizina otis

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyrium_favonius

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.