Imperiled Butterflies: Bartram’s Hairstreak

About 150 butterfly species are found throughout Florida. 15 of those species are found only in extreme southern Florida and the Florida Keys. Continued expansion of urban development and widespread use of pesticides used to control mosquito populations have put many of these species in jeopardy.

This is part three of a seven part series covering Florida’s imperiled butterflies.

Bartram’s Hairstreak

Bartram’s Hairstreak (Strymon acis bartrami) is a small butterfly found only in  extreme southern Florida and the Florida Keys. The underside of the wings are pale gray with bold white markings with a largish red patch near the hair-like tails of the hind wings. The upper side of the wings is a deep iridescent gray that can appear a shimmering blue and purple.

First described in 1943, this species was named for early Florida explorer John Bartram. To see some truly gorgeous photographs of this species, check out the Audubon Guides website and Butterflies of America.

This species is now mostly found on Big Pine Key and otherwise only in small, localized colonies. As of 2009 there are estimated to be between 100 and 800 adult Bartram’s Hairstreaks alive in the wild.

Pine Rocklands

This diminutive butterfly is only found in pine rockland ecosystems and hosts only on pineland croton (Croton linearis). The pine rockland is a particularly rare ecosystem in which South Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) dominates the canopy while palms and other hardwoods form a sub-canopy. These small forests occur in Big Cypress National Preserve, the lower Florida Keys, and along the Miami Rock Ridge where limestone outcroppings provide a relatively high elevation.

High points in the landscape like pine rocklands were often developed early and then logged intensively before the 1960’s. Maintained by regular wildfires, these areas have a broad range of plant and animal diversity that occur no where else. Pine rocklands are fragile ecosystems susceptible to changes brought on by development and climate change.

Learn more about Florida’s pine rocklands at the Institute for Regional Conservation.