Woohoo!! I haven't seen a great purple hairstreak in several years. That's a beautiful picture, and congratulations, Susan!

Sherry

I've never seen one but we do have them on the map for Missouri, so maybe someday I will.

The host is mistletoe. I've thought about planting some but I think it can become invasive.

I don't know about invasive, but it can damage its host trees. It is spread by birds that consume the seeds and spread them thru their feces throughout the trees. I have never found any in tree branches low enough for me to reach, and it wouldn't be prudent for me to get on a ladder at my age. Some say that Mistletoe only attacks a certain family or genus of trees, but I've seen it on lots of different trees, not just one family or genus.

I did come across an article by a fellow who did find and raise the larvae, ao it can be done.

The sheer beauty of these hairsteaks is phenomenal. It is an irridescent blue on the upper wings, which I could only catch a glance of as it flew from one flower to another. They are so much bigger than the Gray Hairsteak! They aren't easily disturbed by the butterfly papparazzi that's for sure. Once you see one, you'll know immediately what it is.

Susan

Beautiful shot of an unusually pretty butterfly!

Bob

Susan,

Great find! Love the photo. Hoping to be in OKC sometime this month. Will be in touch.

Sandy

Great capture!!! Looks like you have a pretty female!
I saw one earlier this spring flitting around some of my mistletoe that I intentionally leave on my cedar elms but didn't have my camera with me! I was hoping she would leave me some eggs but I haven't seen one since.
Here is a picture I took of a male in 2009! He really liked my Garlic Chives!
Thanks for sharing!
Lila

Beautiful pictures everybody! Here's mine -

{{gwi:466562}}

Susan, I just LOVE those asters! I'll have to look into getting some to plant here.

Sherry

I am soooo jealous. So you are saying the plastic mistletoe I hang up at Christmas won't work? Drat...

Beautiful pictures everyone. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Elisabeth

Elisabeth, you're just too funny! That would be much easier than having to climb a tree!

Sandy, thanks, and I so look forward to seeing you. Ellen's Blue is still just blooming her head off.

Sherry, I could send you a start if you want one. I got it originally at Lazy S's way back when..... It is not native, but it sure attracts the flying critters! The flowers are gorgeous, but plan to plant something in front of it to cover it's nasty knees. The foliage would be pretty if it didn't get eaten by everything with mouthparts, plus it turns brown and ratty looking. I've had mine for about 10 years and you can see I haven't removed it because of its pitiful looks - too good of a nectar plant! It gets very tall - about 4', and it does spread around, altho not invasively IMHO.

Lila, I am sending her your way - hopefully she'll show up in your garden!

Bob, aw gee - your photos put mine to shame, but very nice of you say that.

Everyone's photos are fantastic, and thank you for the very nice compliments.

Susan

Here's a picture of one that visited my yard last summer. He/she came back several times over the course of a few weeks and then I never saw it again. It was about this time of year, so I'm hoping maybe I'll get a visitor soon.

~Laura

Susan...
Do you ever get seeds for your aster?
The times I've seen GPHs has been in October so just maybe...I'll see your's heading south for the winter! (not sure where or how they overwinter!???)
I absolutely love the colors of these BFs! They are my favorite small butterfly...just wish we all had more of them!!!

It has never reseeded, so I assume not. It does spread around via underground runners, but not aggressively. I dug up a "rhizome" by accident one year, plopped it in a pot and it grew fine (until I forgot to water it and it died. The clump has gotten larger over the last 10 years, but I have Aster oblongifolius next to it, so not by much. It has sent one runner about 5' away from the original plant, so it can do that, again, not aggressively for me.

I wish I could order from Lazy S's again. They have very nice plants, but they have priced me out as a customer. The lady that owns it is so good at answering questions and giving info. Once I told her I was a butterfly gardener, she recommended that Aster as a nectar plant, and she was definitely right.

Susan

Thanks for the offer, Susan! Maybe later or in early spring I'll take you up on it. We're going to Virginia this Tuesday and be gone for about ?10 days, so now wouldn't be a good time to send it through the mail. It really is a pretty flower, though, and as long as they don't go CRAZY, I like vigorous plants.

I'll get back with you when we get back home.

Sherry

Have a great trip, MissSherry! Are you driving so you can see the fall foliage on I-81?

Susan

No, we're going a different route, Susan, but I'm sure the foliage would be gorgeous on that highway, since it runs through the mountains.

We'll be taking a more southerly route through Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, missing the mountains, but there may be some pretty foliage there, too. I have an Ancestry.com account, and traced one line on my mother's side back fourteen generations (with proof for every generation) to Arthur Allen, who built a brick house in Surry County, VA near the James River in 1665 that's owned by Preservation Virginia. We'll be touring this house, also known as Bacon's Castle, because Bacon's army took it over during the rebellion. I made up a booklet for my family with each generation documented and interesting information also - it was fun to do, and everybody really appreciated it.
We'll also be going to Jamestowne, which is close to the Allen house. I especially want to see the artifacts from the original fort at Jamestowne at their museum. My Daddy had an ancestor who was one of the original settlers there, so it's also personal - I'll be compiling another booklet about this line. When we go through South Carolina, I'll be gathering more information and pictures about this line of my Daddy's and also information and pictures of an old house that belonged to an ancestor of my husband - I'm also researching and writing a booklet about this interesting line of his.

Butterflies and nature in general and genealogy and American history are my hobbies - they keep me busy and interested!

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Bacon's Castle/Allen's Brick House

Looks like that will be a fantastic stop along the road. Be sure to note what the replicated, restored garden contains in terms of plant material. I'd love to hear about it when you have time after returning home. Love the unique architecture of those triple towers!

Susan

Yes,indeed, I'll check out the garden, Susan! I'll also be checking for butterflies all along the way - wouldn't it get great if I saw one I've never seen before?

Sherry

I meant 'Wouldn't it BE great if I saw one I've never seen before?'
I'll take my field guide!

Sherry