The Hickory Hairstreak has a wingspan of 0.9 to 1.15 inches. The upperside of the forewing and hindwing is drab brown. The underside of the hindwing is grayish-brown with a dark postmedian band of rectangular spots edged in white on both sides. The blue patch below the tail always extends inward much further than the adjacent orange patch. The very similar Banded Hairstreak has the blue patch that is even with the orange patch. Another difference of Banded Hairstreak is that the spots in the postmedian band are edged with white mainly just on the outside. The caterpillar has a yellowish-green body with two white dorsal lines and oblique yellowish lateral marks. The body turns brown shortly before pupating.
The Hickory Hairstreak is rarely seen in this area. There have been 2 photographs taken in Fontenelle Forest. In 2018 one was photographed on June 9th and one was photographed on July 2, 2019 on Bladdernut Trail in Fontenelle Forest. It may be that this species is overlooked and mistaken for the very similar Banded Hairstreak. It ranges from southern Quebec and Ontario, and northeastern US from Massachusetts to Minnesota and Nebraska, south to Kansa, North Carolina and northern Georgia.
The larvae feed mainly on the leaves of Hickory. Other hosts include Butternut, Oak, Ash and Hawthorn. There is one generation per year. The species overwinters as an egg.
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