Status in Nova Scotia
Extremely rare to rare. Four records in Ferguson 1907-1952. There is one record for Nova Scotia in the Maritimes Butterfly Atlas: August 26 2012 in River Bourgeois. The
Maritimes Butterfly Atlas S-rank for this species is S1S2: Extremely rare to rare.
Flight PeriodMid-May to late August. Possibly two overlapping broods.
HabitatOpen areas.
Larval FoodplantsSweetfern (
Comptonia peregrina) in N.S., possibly many other plants.
Similar Species in Nova ScotiaAll four of our common hairstreaks are superficially similar. The major differences are in the patterning on the underside of the wings. See
Acadian Hairstreak,
Banded Hairstreak and
Striped Hairstreak.
NotesThis species is believed to be a seasonal migrant from the south, i.e. it probably does not overwinter here.
Further Reading