New Butterfly For Me!!! ;o) Plant ID???

11 years ago

This is a first for me...'Olive' Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys g. gryneus)

It is nectaring on a plant that I started from seed I collected at a local organic garden center that had come up as a volunteer. She didn't know what it was but it has grown to be about 4-5ft tall & blooms here in August-September. It is perennial & has done well in part shade to full sun. I didn't know that BFs liked it but see a ton of wasps & bees on it! Somewhat invasive...reseeds freely! I have a Joe Pye weed that I had purchased but the texture is different. This plant is perennial & comes back from the root. Any ideas??? (I can post more pictures if I need to!!!???)

Thanks, Lila

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Comments (4)

MissSherry
11 years ago
Congrats, congrats on your olive juniper hairsteak, Lila! I'm so jealous! :)

I'll guess that the volunteer plant is some type of Pluchea. I'm not sure which of the many Plucheas it is that grows here, but they get real tall, about 8'- 9', and fall over in a hard rain. It would help to see pictures of the leaves.

Sherry
christie_sw_mo
11 years ago
Cool Lila! The map says I have Olive Hairstreaks but I've never seen one. I don't think they're very common. Do you have Redcedar nearby?
flutterby64
11 years ago
Hey Lila!

Congrats on your beautiful Olive Juniper Hairstreak! I love the colors. Great photo!

Dana
imabirdnut
Original Author
11 years ago
I don't have any cedars on my property any more but there are some in the undeveloped 10 acres that is close by! I see Gray Hairstreaks very often but have only seen 1 or 2 Great Purple Hairstreaks over the past several years! I saw a female this year but didn't have my camera with me. I leave the mistletoe on my cedar elm trees just in case! I have also seen a couple of Dusky-Blue Groundstreaks (Calycopis isobeon)over the past several years.
They are all so tiny...they are so easy to miss!!! Blues are also very rare for me...I've only seen a Ceranus Blue last year for the first time!
At first...I was thinking this was a copper of some sort that had gotten lost!
Thanks, Lila