Calycopis cecrops
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Banded Hairstreak sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Banded Hairstreak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, 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.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Red-Banded Hairstreak sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Red-Banded Hairstreak that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Elkalyce comyntas (about 20%), Cyaniris neglecta (about 20%) and Spring Azure (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 Great Smoky Mountains National Park (124 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.
