Henry's Elfin

Henry's Elfin

Incisalia henrici

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Boston

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

5 Verified sightings at Boston
7 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Henry's Elfin

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Henry's Elfin in Boston?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Henry's Elfin sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1063rd most-seen of the 1200 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Henry's Elfin in Boston?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Henry's Elfin in Boston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Henry's Elfin?

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.

Is Boston the best place to see a Henry's Elfin?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Henry's Elfin sightings, Boston ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%) and San Antonio (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Henry's Elfin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Henry's Elfin is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (5 verified sightings), 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.

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