How the GREAT Purple

Hairstreak Got its Name. Tomás Gonzales

by Russet S. Kipperling, III

Neophyte butterfliers often remark upon the amazingly useful cats was that they were so incongruity of the Great Purple Hairstreak — content with their butterflying that they often the actual butterfly has no discernible purple kept their owners up throughout the night by coloration and has a brilliant blue upperside emitting unbelievably loud purring sounds. with some brilliant blue on its underside as well. Some well-meaning folks even go so One day, one of these soulful cats climbed a far as wanting to rename the butterfly the tree and confronted a strange-looking, chubby, Great Blue Hairstreak. Unfortunately, they green with a distinctive diamond- ignore the obvious fact that essentially all shaped mark on its head. of the Great Purple Hairstreak’s congeners (greatstreaks in the ) have Clutching the caterpillar in its mouth, the the same brilliant blue and also ignore the butterfly-hunting cat brought it home. When story of the little-known origin of the name. the cat tried to lick the diamond-shaped mark, Therefore, just so you know, here is that the caterpillar became lodged in the cat’s throat. story. That night, the cat’s owners, the Cramers, slept Many years ago, there was a special breed well for the first time in many years, because of cats living in the Mississippi delta region. their cat did not purr. These were really cool cats (sometimes known as hep cats). In fact, the cat didn’t purr for weeks and eventually, the family made a small fortune These cats had been bred for years by blues selling this of caterpillar as a purr pill. artists to hunt butterflies (the blues artists were always chasing happiness). With the waning A few weeks later, a large hairball came of the blues, the cats became extinct. streaking out of the cat’s mouth.

The cats had green eyes and smoky gray fur The caterpillar had become an adult butterfly, and so, as you might surmise, the butterflies and because the purr pill had come streaking were not able to see them coming. But, the out of the cat’s mouth with the hairball, Mr. most unusual feature of these cats was that the Cramer named the butterfly the Great Purr Pill inner portion of one ear was bright blue, while Hairstreak. the inner portion of the other ear was bright orange, causing both blue butterflies and And that’s how the Great Purple Hairstreak orange butterflies to be attracted to the cats. got its name. The major drawback to these otherwise

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