Calycopis cecrops
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) is a butterfly native to the southeastern United States. It feeds on fallen leaves of sumac species and other trees. It is 0.9–1.25 inches (23–32 mm) in size. It lives near coastal areas.
Its genome was sequenced in 2016. It has a false "head" that helps it avoid predators. In a 2012 experiment, C. cecrops was exposed to a jumping spider, Phidippus pulcherrimus, which researchers found to be a "very efficient strategy in deflecting attacks." Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Banded Hairstreak sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 94th most-seen of the 262 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Banded Hairstreak in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in July to November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Banded Hairstreak sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Red-Banded Hairstreak sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 20%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Red-Banded Hairstreak that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Cassius Blue (about 10%), Ceraunus Blue (about 10%) and Gray Hairstreak (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-Banded Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (16 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.
