Bug FAQRed-banded Hairstreak
Calycopis cecrops · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The red-banded hairstreak is a small butterfly about 0.9 to 1.25 inches long (23 to 32 mm) and lives near coastal areas in the southeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It sports a false head that tricks predators into attacking the wrong end.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 0.9 to 1.25 inches (23 to 32 mm) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found near coastal habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is the southeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-banded_hairstreak
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.