Wyoming State Insect
Sheridan’s Green Hairstreak Butterfly (common name)
Callophrys sheridanii (scientific name)
Callophrys sheridanii (scientific name)
Overview
The Sheridan’s green hairstreak butterfly was first observed by settlers in 1877 near what’s now Sheridan, Wyoming, but it only became Wyoming’s state butterfly in 2009. The tops of the butterfly’s wings are dark gray-brown, but the wings’ underside is green—anywhere from bright green to a dark grayish green. Some green hairstreaks have a straight or curved line of white dots at the outer third of each wing, but even when the line is present it’s often not very noticeable. The hairstreak butterfly has no tail.
Close-up
STATUS
Official
PHYSICAL DETAILS
Wingspan: 7/8–1 1/8 in (2.2–2.9 cm).
Larvae: Caterpillars range from green to pink and have two rows of white spots on their backs as well as clusters of short stiff spines all along their bodies.
Larvae: Caterpillars range from green to pink and have two rows of white spots on their backs as well as clusters of short stiff spines all along their bodies.
LIFESPAN
Four to five months
HABITAT
Hills and canyons at elevations of 6,000–10,000 ft (1,830–3,050 m), woodlands, sagebrush scrub, and chaparral.
Range: Southern part of British Columbia east into Alberta, southwards through eastern Washington into California, and southeast along the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico.
Flight period: One flight from March to June
Conservation status: Least Concern
Flight period: One flight from March to June
Conservation status: Least Concern
BEHAVIOR
Adults: Males watch for females in gulch bottoms and other low-lying areas. Females lay eggs one at a time on wild buckwheat plants.
Larva: Caterpillars often feed on the plants on which they hatch. Most form a chrysalis as the weather gets cold and overwinter in the chrysalis, though occasionally the eggs overwinter and caterpillars hatch in the spring.
Larva: Caterpillars often feed on the plants on which they hatch. Most form a chrysalis as the weather gets cold and overwinter in the chrysalis, though occasionally the eggs overwinter and caterpillars hatch in the spring.
DIET
Adults: Flower nectar
Larva: Caterpillars normally eat buckwheat leaves, although some prefer to feed on flowers and immature fruit.
Larva: Caterpillars normally eat buckwheat leaves, although some prefer to feed on flowers and immature fruit.
TRIVIA
- This green hairstreak is a symbol of springtime in Wyoming and is usually seen on the first warm days of the year, often before the snow has melted completely.
- This is the only green hairstreak with a range that extends to the Great Plains, and even then the butterflies only occur at the plains’ western rim.
Click to enlarge an image
Green Hairstreak Butterfly
Frontal View of Green Hairstreak Butterfly
Colorful Green Hairstreak Butterfly
| CLASSIFICATION | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Super Family: | Papilionoidea |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Sub family: | Theclinae |
| Genus: | Callophrys |
| Species: | C. sheridanii |
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