Wildflower Archive
Edwards' hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)
Jake McCumber · CC BY (iNaturalist)

Pollinator

Edwards' hairstreak

Satyrium edwardsii

An oak-scrub hairstreak spotted below in broken bands.

Family
Lycaenidae (gossamer-wings)
Wingspan
1.1 to 1.5 in (2.9 to 3.8 cm)
Flight season
Summer
Range
Eastern North America
Caterpillar food
Scrub oaks
Conservation
Secure and widespread

Edwards' hairstreak is a small brown hairstreak of oak scrub and barrens, its underside marked with rows of oval, white-rimmed spots rather than a continuous band.

It flies in a single summer brood and visits milkweeds, sumac, and other flowers.

Edwards' hairstreak caterpillar
Caterpillar. Jack Forrester · CC BY (iNaturalist)

Caterpillars feed on scrub oaks and are sheltered in ant nests by day, coming out to feed at night.

Plants for the edwards' hairstreak

32 native plants with documented flower-visit records. Narrow with the filters below.

32 plants

California poppy1 of 2
California poppy Eschscholzia californica
Chokecherry
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana
Butterfly milkweed1 of 2
Butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa
Wild bergamot1 of 3
Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa
Cutleaf coneflower1 of 3
Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata
Sweet Joe-Pye-weed1 of 3
Sweet Joe-Pye-weed Eutrochium purpureum
Common boneset1 of 2
Common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
Virginia strawberry1 of 2
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
Wild geranium1 of 3
Wild geranium Geranium maculatum
Small camas1 of 3
Small camas Camassia quamash
Great blanketflower1 of 3
Great blanketflower Gaillardia aristata
Rattlesnake master1 of 2
Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium
Coralberry1 of 2
Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Carolina crane's-bill1 of 3
Carolina crane's-bill Geranium carolinianum
Spreading dogbane1 of 2
Spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
White avens1 of 2
White avens Geum canadense
Wood Lily1 of 2
Wood Lily Lilium philadelphicum
Hoary vervain1 of 2
Hoary vervain Verbena stricta
Leadplant
Leadplant Amorpha canescens
Closed bottle gentian1 of 2
Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii
Flowering spurge
Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
Dotted gayfeather1 of 2
Dotted gayfeather Liatris punctata
Sulfur buckwheat1 of 2
Sulfur buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum
Robin's-plantain1 of 2
Robin's-plantain Erigeron pulchellus
White fawnlily1 of 2
White fawnlily Erythronium albidum
Bird's-eye gilia1 of 2
Bird's-eye gilia Gilia tricolor
Sky Lupine1 of 3
Sky Lupine Lupinus nanus
He-huckleberry
He-huckleberry Lyonia ligustrina
Woolly cranesbill1 of 2
Woolly cranesbill Geranium erianthum
Narrowleaf mule-ears
Narrowleaf mule-ears Wyethia angustifolia
Soapwort Gentian1 of 3
Soapwort Gentian Gentiana saponaria
Downy gentian1 of 2
Downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta

Sources