A Hairstreak On The South Side

White-M Hairstreak at Berg Street steps, 4 October 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
White-M Hairstreak at Berg Street steps, 4 October 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

A “hairstreak” is not a new fad in South Side hair styles.  It’s a small butterfly.

A week ago I walked the Black Route on South Side’s Pittsburgh Step Trek. It took me two hours to complete 3.29 miles and climb up and down 1,692 steps but I found a reward.

This White-M Hairstreak butterfly (Parrhasius m album) was perched on the railing at the Berg Street steps.

Local butterfly expert, Monica Miller, tells me this one is a good find.  She (who has so much experience!) has seen only three White M Hairstreaks in her life.

I had no idea I could find such good butterflies in the City.  Woo hoo!

 

(photo by Kate St. John)

2 thoughts on “A Hairstreak On The South Side

  1. I love this butterfly! It’s very pretty with the eye outlined in white. And obviously the hind end is designed to look like a front end so that the predators that try to attack (hopefully) won’t do fatal damage.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *