Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

A small butterfly with mossy green-and-rust wings that vanish against its host plant, since its caterpillars feed exclusively on juniper and eastern redcedar foliage. Adults perch with wings closed, relying on the mottled green camouflage rather than the bright orange upper surface they flash only in flight.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   chrysalis

   A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   butterfly

   A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Lycaenidae

Genus

Callophrys

Species

Callophrys gryneus