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| Common Name | Juniper Hairstreak by Paul Hart => Raven Rock State Park, 2003-07-15
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| Scientific Name | Callophrys gryneus
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| Link to BAMONA species account. |
| Map | Click on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.
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| Distribution | DISTRIBUTION: Throughout the Piedmont and extreme western Coastal Plain. There is a real hiatus in the central Coastal Plain, and it appears again near tidewater areas (a different subspecies). Only known from four mountain counties, generally those containing low elevations. A record from Bladen County in 2021 presumably relates to the inland population, though on the map it has closed this real gap in the range.
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| Abundance | ABUNDANCE: Uncommon to locally fairly common in the Piedmont; rare to absent in most of the Coastal Plain, but uncommon to locally common in tidewater areas near red cedars. Absent to locally very rare in the mountains, though there were several records in 2011 from Buncombe County, and numerous records from Madison County in 2012. Counts of 35 in Carteret County in 2021 and 36 in New Hanover County in 2020 indicate the local abundance along the southern half of the coast.
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| Flight | FLIGHT PERIOD: Two broods, quite extended in time for a Callophrys species. In the Piedmont, late March to mid-June, and late June to early September. The Coastal Plain flight has a near-gap between broods in late May; thus flights there are mid-March to late May, and early or mid-June to early September. In both provinces, the gap between broods is narrow. The meager mountain data suggest a small brood in April and into May and from mid-June to early August.
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| Habitat | HABITAT: Always near red cedars. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is the key species in the Piedmont, whereas Southern Red Cedar (J. salicicola) is the foodplant in the tidewater area. The species is usually seen along woodland borders, powerline clearings, or old fields, in dry situations; cedars are always present nearby. The species also occurs in foothills around outcrops where cedars are present, such as in the Brushy Mountains. In the tidewater region, it is present near brackish marshes and thickets, especially on coastal islands, where the cedar is found.
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| | Plants | FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Red cedars are the only foodplants. The butterflies nectar on many flowers of woodland borders, such as New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) and various composites.
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| Comments | COMMENTS: Though by no means a common butterfly, this is one of the easier hairstreaks in the state to find. It is often encountered by chance along a woodland border; however, it may be purposefully searched for in places where cedars are abundant, such as in circumneutral soils or around rock outcrops. The absence over most of the Coastal Plain is real, as both species of red cedars are rare to absent except near tidal water. However, cedars are not overly uncommon in some mountain areas, and Juniper Hairstreaks should be expected in other counties there.
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State Rank | S4 | | State Status | |
Global Rank | G5 | | Federal Status | |
| Synonym | Mitoura grynea
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| Other Name | Olive Hairstreak
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