California hairstreak butterfly
Satyrium californica
insectView on iNaturalist
CA: Threatened
Listed under California ESA
Gray butterfly with orange spots and thin tail-like extensions on hindwings. Bay Area native whose caterpillars feed on oaks; important for local food webs.
Plants that support California hairstreak butterfly
4 plants
Buckbrush
Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus
shrub
larval host plant, caterpillars feed on young leaves May-June
Bay Area nativeKeystone species
California Coffeeberry
Frangula californica
shrub
Larval host plant, critical for this California endemic butterfly
Bay Area native
Naked Buckwheat
Eriogonum nudum var. auriculatum
perennial herb
Single brood uses developing seeds as food source June-August
Bay Area native
Woolypod milkweed
Asclepias eriocarpa
perennial herb
Larval host plant during spring-summer generation
Bay Area native