The sylvan hairstreak (''Satyrium sylvinus'') is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfl ...

. It is found in western North America, from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

south-east to

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and south through

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Baja California Norte Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the Political divisions of Mexi ...

, Mexico. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 25–30 mm. There are specimens with or without tails. The upperside is grey-brown or reddish with a blue sheen. The hindwings have a small orange patch at the lower edge. Females have a yellowish tinge. The underside is pale grey to white. There is a postmarginal band of small black dots. Some individuals may have only a few spots. There is also a yellow to red spot at the lower edge of the hindwing. Adults are on wing from May to August in one generation per year. They feed on the nectar of various flowers, including milkweed and Indian hemp. The larvae feed on the leaves of ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

'' species.Sylvan Hairstreak
Butterflies of Canada The species overwinters as an egg.

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically. *''S. s. desertorum'' (Grinnell, 1917) (California) *''S. s. dryope'' (Edwards, 1870) (California) *''S. s. itys'' (Edwards, 1882) (Arizona) *''S. s. nootka'' Fisher, 1998 (British Columbia) *''S. s. megapallidum'' Austin, 1998 (Nevada) *''S. s. putnami'' (H. Edwards, 1877) (Utah) *''S. s. sylvinus'' (California)

References

External links

Sylvan Hairstreak
Butterflies of Canada Butterflies described in 1852 Satyrium (butterfly) {{Eumaeini-stub