c

This little butterfly is called a red-banded hairstreak. It is easy to see the red or orange diagonal streak on the underside of its wings. Many kinds of butterflies have fake eyes on the underside of their wings. The red-banded hairstreak goes one better and shows off a fake head. It even has small fake antennas on the back end of its wings. When the butterfly dips its head to sip nectar it may appear to a bird that the butterfly’s tail is its head. The bird gets a mouthful of nothing and the red-banded hairstreak gets to live another day.

You may find the red-banded hairstreak in southern Missouri near wet or muddy areas. I found this one Sunday, April 21, in a grassy field near a pond. Once you spot this butterfly, it may be difficult to get close enough to get a good photo. Approach it very slowly.