Atlides halesus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The great purple hairstreak (Atlides halesus), also called the great blue hairstreak, is a common gossamer-winged butterfly species in parts of the United States. It is actually a Neotropical species; its North American range only includes the warm-temperate and subtropical parts of that continent, and it ranges southwards almost to the Isthmus of Panama. The type specimen, however, was shipped to Europe from the Colony of Virginia, probably around the time of the United States Declaration of Independence.
The common names refer to the butterfly's two main colors – dusky purple on the underside, and iridescent blue above. Particularly the males are very colorful in flight – brilliant blue and velvety black, with bright red and golden markings – but when sitting down they show their inconspicuous dusky purple underside. On each hindwing, there are two tails, with one short and one long tail, lending itself to the name "hairstreak". Several subspecies are recognized.
Its caterpillar larvae feed on the mistletoe genus Phoradendron. The wingspan on the adult butterfly ranges from 1.25 to 1.5 inches. Despite its common name "great purple hairstreak", this butterfly does... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Purple Hairstreak sighting in Houston on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 522nd most-seen of the 1057 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.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Purple Hairstreak in Houston on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Purple 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.
9th of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Great Purple Hairstreak sightings, Houston ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), San Antonio (United States, about 10%) and Dallas (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Great Purple Hairstreak that you can see in Houston (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Gray Hairstreak (about 10%) and Ceraunus Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Purple Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in Houston (17 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.
