Backyard Wildlife: Great Purple Hairstreak

My daughter and I found a butterfly in our yard today that I had never seen before. It was pristine, as if freshly emerged, and dramatically beautiful. It sat quietly on a blade of grass with its wings closed, showing rich black wings marked with bits of bright blue, and a bright orange, fuzzy abdomen. The most unusual feature was the hindwings, which had long, thin tails and tabs at a right angle to the wing. The butterfly rubbed its wings together as it sat on the grass, giving the impression of another insect that was waving its antennae, perhaps a wasp or something else threatening.

I called my mom, who has a butterfly guide, and she helped identify it as a Great Purple Hairstreak, a southern butterfly whose caterpillars feed on mistletoe, frequently found on live oaks. I found a lot of photos online, including these lovely ones taken by Jeffrey Pippin in North Carolina (he shot the photo used above). If you scroll down the page you can see some great shots of the unusual tails.

One site I found said that “Great Purple Hairstreaks are renowned for being tame. If you stick your finger under one, it may climb on!” and that was in fact the case – it climbed onto both my and my daughter’s fingers.

I’m always so in awe of butterflies – how is it possible that something so delicate and beautiful can survive at all? I’d like to learn more, and certainly need to buy my own guide.

Speaking of backyard wildlife, Friday night I heard our Great Horned Owl calling.

Do you have any favorite backyard wildlife stories from the summer that you’d like to share?

ADDITION 3 Feb 10: I have to add this quote from the guide Butterflies Through Binoculars: “The origin of the name is hazy. When this tropically-oriented beauty kisses the sky with its brilliant iridescent blue topside, you will soar as high as Jimi Hendrix’s music.” Ouch!