Red-banded Hairstreak, Miner

There are at least a half-dozen different species of Hairstreak butterflies in our area but when I spot one of these diminutive beauties, it's typically a member of the Banded Hairstreak clan, the most common of the Satyrium lepidopterans around here. There must have been a recent hatch of these treasures, because, all of a sudden, they've gone from non-existent to numerous. I noticed this one on a Joe Pye Weed flower cluster, and I dutifully watched it and photographed it up close. Then, that job done, I went on to other things, figuring that what I'd just documented was the usual species. When I examined today's photo haul, however, I noticed something strange—it just didn't look like a typical S. calanus. And it wasn't one of the similar members of the group. In fact, as verified by a friend who's an expert butterfly biologist, it's a relatively new species for southern New England: a Red-banded Hairstreak, a rare but increasingly successful member of the local fauna that has moved in from southern haunts. The entire genus, I also learned, has had a name change, from Satyrium to Calycopis. The Red-banded is C. cecrops. Time to undo careful memorization.