
Bug o’the Week – Coral Hairstreak Butterfly
by Kate Redmond
Howdy, BugFans,
Hairstreaks (and Blues and Coppers and Harvesters) are members of the Gossamer-winged butterfly family Lycaenidae (“Gossamer-winged” being a nod to the iridescent sheen on the wings of many family members). Numbering nearly 5,000 mostly tropical species worldwide – 30% of butterfly species – Lycaenidae is the second-largest butterfly family (the Brush-foots outnumber them). The BugLady associates hairstreak butterflies with butterfly weed and hot, sunny prairie days.