BC List Status:
Red (Candidates for- Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatened status)
The more common Cedar Hairstreak, though much smaller, overlaps in distribution and is the most likely species to be confused with Johnson’s Hairstreak. The ventral wing pattern of Cedar Hairstreak appears washed out compared to Johnson’s Hairstreak and the ventral jagged white line, which runs midway along both sets of wings, is bordered with amber instead of black.
Vulnerable to extirpation from removal of trees and stands infected with the preferred larval host plant through silviculture or hazard management practices. Preferred habitat over its range has been severely reduced over the last century.
Difficult to detect because the larval host plant occurs in the forest canopy and is difficult to inventory. As well adult butterflies are typically found in very small numbers and may be hard to detect within forested communities.
Impacts to all life stages as well as host plant communities from pesticide applications for silviculture management and insect pest control (i.e. gypsy moth).
Possible increase of severe wildfire events, and changes in forest health and species composition as a result of climate change.
Displacement of preferred nectar food plants due to invasion by shrubs and grasses following timber harvesting or development.
Apply conservation and management objectives as set out in the “Accounts and Measures for Managing Identified Wildlife – Accounts V. Johnson’s Hairstreak Butterfly Loranthomitoura johnsoni.” Integrate complementary measures for conservation indentified by the Xerces Society’s Facthseet on Johnson’s Hairstreak and “Sentinels on the Wing: The Status and Conservation of Butterflies in Canada.” The Province of BC (former Ministry of Forests), and more recently the USDA Forest Service, provide extensive resources for integrated management approaches for dwarf mistletoe - the larval host plant for this butterfly species. Inventory and assessment methods should follow RISC Standards #40 “Inventory Methods for Terrestrial Arthropods”. “Survey Protocol for Johnson’s Hairstreak Butterfly (Callophrys johnsoni) in Washington and Oregon (v1.2) provides more recent survey and inventory guidance for this species. Online survey and identification resources also include the Butterflies and Moths of North America, the Royal BC Museum’s “Living Landscapes: Pend-d Oreille Butterfly Survey” as well as other Provincial butterfly collection and reconnaissance inventory methods.
This species is Identified Wildlife under the Provincial Forest and Range Practices Act and may be subject to protections and
prohibitions under the BC Wildlife Act. Habitat for this species may also be governed under provincial and federal regulations
including the Fish Protection Act and Federal Fisheries Act as well as Regional and local municipal bylaws.