The Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), the northernmost representative of a mostly southern or neotropical genus, is a vividly-marked and striking butterfly, with bright reddish-orange bands on its wings. This distinctive butterfly is found through most of Maryland, where it has a long flight period, starting in mid-May, with a second brood appearing in August (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith).
Host plants include Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum) and Staghorn Sumac (Rhus tiphina) (Database of World's Lepidopteran Host Plants). Apparently, the larvae often show a marked preference for the rotting leaf detritus beneath the host plants.
There are 1,021 records in the project database.
GA | AL | WA | FR | CL | MO | HO | BA | BC | HA | CE | PG | AA | CV | CH | SM | KE | QA | CN | TA | DO | WI | SO | WO |