Incisalia henrici
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Callophrys henrici, the Henry's elfin or woodland elfin, is a North American butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. In Canada it is found from southern Manitoba to southern Nova Scotia. It has two main groups of populations in the United States; the first is found along the Atlantic Coast and uses various hollies (Ilex) as host plants; and the second is found mainly in the north and the Appalachians where they use redbud (Cercis canadensis) as a host plant. Henry's elfin is increasing in New England because of an introduced buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) it now uses as a host plant. It is listed as a species of special concern in the US state of Connecticut.
The upperside of the wings is a dark brown color. The underside of the wings is strongly two toned with the basal area being dark brown black. The hindwing postmedian line has white at both ends. The outer edge of the hindwing is frosted and the outer edge of the forewing is sometimes green toned. The hindwing has tails that are short and stubby. In the southeast, these tails are longer. The male lacks a stigma. Henry's elfin's wingspan measures 20 to 25 mm (0.79 to 0.98 in)
Similar species... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Henry's Elfin sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 255th most-seen of the 329 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Henry's Elfin in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to January, the lowest months. Those are among Big Bend National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in September.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Henry's Elfin sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Big Bend National Park, in our data
Big Bend National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Henry's Elfin sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Henry's Elfin that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Reakirt's Blue (about 30%), Gray Hairstreak (about 30%) and Marine Blue (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Henry's Elfin is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
