Great Purple Hairstreak

Woohoo! Finally a new butterfly for me!! I've had the usuals, which I do love, but it's always exciting to see a new one!

I was just wasting a few minutes yesterday evening before a big storm hit and walked around my yard. I was in front taking some pics then went to the back and spied this on my Queen Anne's Lace.

At first I wasn't sure what I was looking at (it doesn't help that my contacts s**k) so I started taking some pics and trying to figure it out. Was it a butterfly? It's not a BST. I know this sounds stupid but I wondered "is it a spider?" Does a spider have a butterfly?! There were "things" moving like legs but then the whole thing moved. What? LOL...

Anyways...upon much closer inspection I saw that it's wings constantly moved in a rubbing motion, back and forth. It made the little tails move and look like a spider or some other insect moving!

It didn't seem to notice me but I sure didn't want to scare it off without being able to get a look at it and at least a good pic so I took some from as close as I wanted to get.

Within the next hour we were hit with a huge thunderstorm with extremely high winds (some tornados) and torrential rain. I sure hope it found a hiding place because I can't imagine it surviving otherwise.

Another pic.... what was funny was that it stayed on the underside of the flower.

And another... The colors on this baby were beautiful! OH! When it flew off I could see that the top seemed to be solid black with iridescent blue! Cool!!

Look at the distinct line between the orange and blue

He's beautiful! It looks like he has little tails on his wings. I've never seen those here, great shots!

Congrats!!! Those GPHs are awesome looking little butterflies!!! I just love the black and turquoise coloring in contrast with it's orange belly :o) They will often hang from under a leaf and rub their hindwings back and forth in typical hairstreak behavior.

You'd think that since it's larval host plant, mistletoe, grows everywhere we'd all have gobs of those around...but I am lucky if I see a lone one nectaring on mistflower.

Did get to see five on one mistflower bush last year. That mistflower bush was growing out in the middle of nowhere...way out in the boonies...along a barbed wire fence paralleling the highway. It was the only nectar source for miles it seems...and it was covered with all kinds of butterflies. Really made my day to see five GPH together on one plant. Have never seen that many at the same time again.

Do you remember last year MissSherry posted photos of a aberrant one? It had a white abdomen. Very striking!

~ Cat

Since I had never seen one before, nor seen any posts about one, I was surprised to find that they were found all over. And just like you said, I thought with mistletoe as a host that they'd be more common.

I sure hope that this means I could possibly see more. Their chrysalis are bright blue! I'd love to see one of those!

I did not see that post of Sherry's but I'll dig thru and see if I can locate it because that sounds very cool!

What a beauty paige!!! I love to see the new ones! I will keep a lookout..maybe it is their year, since we had so much rain. We should be seeing a lot more 'new'.

:-D

Paige-
I also get such a "rush" when a new friend comes into my gardens! Your photo's are great! What camera/lens are you using?
Thanks!

~Adrienne

Paige,

I was out at the ranch today and saw a sporadic GPH flitting around a couple of mesquite trees. It was way too windy and they were well over my head. Never could get a decent photo. I still scanned the mistletoe for signs of ants...hoping they'd lead me to a GPH caterpillar...but never saw any eggs or caterpillars. There's gotta be some out there...just dratted mistletoe also grows way over my head...it's hard work trying to find a caterpillar with binoculars. Read they often roost at the bottom of the tree underneath dried pieces of bark...also rooted around some trees...but nada! UGH!!!

Oh well, came home with a bonaza of Bordered Patch cats (on sunflowers) and I think Elada Texas Checkerspots cats (on cenizo).

Will say there are thousands of Bordered Patch cats on the sunflowers at the ranch. I wish ya'll lived closer so you could come get a few hundred to raise!!!

~ Cat

This message was edited May 6, 2007 9:38 PM

Awesome find Cat! I love BP, and those lovely Crescents! Maybe some will come my way, (one can hope).
I think bf''s will be spread out beyond their normal periferies this year bc of weather.... So far it has been a real boon!

Mourning Cloaks made it here, where they are normally more sparce.

Smiles

Deb - Those Mourning Cloaks are truly stunning! I've never seen one here. I think all the butterflies went west from Florida because of your rain. It's so dry here that they all decided to pack up and head to wetter ground! LOL!

We did finally get some rain today and it is forecast off and on all week! Yay! Though it did put a crimp in my plans of gardening today. I ran in and out between thunder storms! LOL!

Thanks Adrienne! My camera is just a little 'ole Kodak EasyShare. It can take a good macro shot if I can get time to get it focused before the butterfly moves.

The GPH was back today! yay! I took a few pics but it was windy so they aren't all clear. Funny thing this time was that I noticed it didn't have very good balance. When it was on top of the flower it actually fell over! It seemed to prefer hanging....or it was drunk. lol

LOL Cat! Not everyone would understand your trying to find caterpillars up in a tree, with binoculars! lol...I'd have been doing it too. Keep looking and find us a blue chrysalis!

I loved raising the BP's last year. I'm letting a couple more sunflowers (of the hundreds I'm pulling up!) grow again for them.

...no one likes to eat alone...

Cute photo...sharing with a fly!!! Am always thrilled to see a GPH. Do hope somebody will find cats or chryslids...would love to see photos on here.

~ Cat