Hessel's Hairstreak

The Adult Hessel's hairstreaks wings have a base of a rusty brown color with many Olive green dots throughout. There are also white bands towards the ends of the wing. They have a wingspan of about 1 inch. The caterpillars are fluorescent green, with thick white dashes down its sides.

Subspecies variation. Within the species Callophrys hesseli there are two proposed subspecies, Hesseli hesseli and Hesseli angulata. If these two subspecies were to be accepted, the populations of Callophrys hesseli in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina (specifically along the border of Georgia) would be classified as Callophrys Hesseli angulata. Populations elsewhere would be considered the subspecies Hesseli hesseli. The primary difference between the subspecies Hesseli hesseli and Hesseli angulata lies in their wings and tails. Hesseli angulata wings are dark green to brown while in Hesseli hesseli their wings are typically olive green, and the patterns tend to be less defined and vary slightly from Hesseli angulata. Hesselia angulata also tend to be larger with longer tails.

The habitat of the Hessel's Hairstreaks are terrestrial wetlands such as bogs, riparian, swamps, and forested wetlands. These biomes are home to their preferred plant, the Atlantic white-cedar tree. The extensive habitat of the Hessel's Hairstreaks are confined to the east coast of the United States, from southern Maine to Florida. However, there are many small areas of exception which are unable to support populations for reasons that are not yet understood. The greatest density of population seems to be in the New Jersey area. There is an estimated total of 21-300 populations yet only 13-125 seem to have a strong stability.

Hessel's Hairstreaks are often seen when the tree they are perched on is disturbed and they disperse in response. Hessel's Hairstreaks tend to be in close proximity on the tree tops and the swarm of butterflies will swirl together whenever the disturbance occurs. However, in an uninterrupted state, the butterflies typically change their positions on the tree in relation to sunlight levels. Typically, the males are gathered at the top of the tree tops scouting for unmated females who will venture from the lower tree levels during mating seasons. During the middle of the day, both males and females will join at the top of the Atlantic white cedar trees to performing mating rituals where the males compete for the female's attention known as leks. Hessel's Hairstreaks will court, mate, and lay eggs all during this time period.

Lifespan. The lifespan of Hessel's Hairstreaks consist of three stages. During the beginning of May, eggs, inside of a chrysalis, will be spotted on branch tips of 4-6 weeks. They will then evolve into herbivore caterpillars or pupae diapause during the winter months. Nectarivore adults will live between 1-2 weeks.