Last week (October 10) Loren and Babs Padelford photographed a White M Hairstreak at their residence in Bellevue (Sarpy County) Nebraska. This butterfly is a rather recent addition to Nebraska’s butterfly fauna, first being reported from Fontenelle Forest in 2012. It’s home range includes most of the eastern United States including portions of Iowa and Missouri. Which begs the question – is the White M Hairstreak expanding its range, establishing a foothold in southeastern Nebraska? Or is it a stray? If it is a stray, could it possibly breed here? The Padelford’s latest find appears to be in really good condition which leads me to believe it was not a long-distance traveler. But who knows?
Whatever its status I theorize it is much more widespread in Nebraska than our few records would indicate. Consider the odds of this uncommon butterfly crossing paths with someone who would recognize it. Long odds in my book! It’s been found three times in Bellevue (twice at Fontenelle Forest) and once in the middle of Lincoln, all locations where there are knowledgeable people to observe it (also this species does not appear to be averse to urban environments). Larvae feed on various oaks so there would seem to be potential for it to breed/be found throughout southeastern Nebraska. In any case this is probably not a butterfly that, on any given date, you can set out to find and entertain any reasonable hope of success. Rather just be aware of the possibility of its presence and give any gray hairstreak you see in southeastern Nebraska a second look to verify its identity.
Heitzman (1987) writes that the White M Hairstreak flies in four broods in Missouri with adults on the wing from April through September. The Padelford’s October 10 record pushes that late date out a bit. Being farther north our potential early flight dates are probably a month later (May) as well. So, file this all away and pull it from your memory bank next spring to help unravel the White M Hairstreak Enigma.
