Jasper County, Georgia: Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)

March 24th, 2012. We returned to the Piedmont NWR to check on plants we saw on March 10th and took the same route as on our last trip. We took Starr Road from GA-83 south on through the Oconee National Forest into the NWR. We drove through Tribble Fields to the bridge over Little Falling Creek and then north to Pond 2A. We returned the way we’d come and then took the first road on the right down to the Round Tree – Juliette Rd, drove east and then back into the NWR on the first road on the left. From there we drove north to the intersection with Sugar Hill Road, turned west and forded Stalking Head Creek. We then drove north and took the first road on the right to ford Stalking Head Creek again, east past a small pond and southeast to meet Sugar Hill Road again and then east to GA-11.


I found this butterfly in the Oconee WMA north of the Piedmont NWR where we photographed the Atamasco lilies.

Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). This little butterfly teased me for a while. It was feeding near the Atamasco lilies. Every time I got close it would fly ahead of me to another leaf just out of range. Finally I got this shot.

A closer view.

These are tiny little guys. Easy to overlook. I’ve seen them quite frequently at home (Walton County, Georgia).
Click the image to view a larger image


Identification resources:
- West Central Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops
- BugGuide: Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)

Related posts:
- Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
- Red-Banded Hairstreak: Again
- Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge: Atamasco Lily (Zephyranthes atamasco)