Brown Elfin
Callophrys augustinus

Brown Elfin, a handsome harbinger of spring, is rare statewide but can be numerous where colonies are found. Established colonies persist for many years. It was once thought to occur only in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Ridge and Valley Region, with one sighting in Bibb County near Macon, well outside its expected range. Recent records just north of the Fall Line in West Georgia (Harris County, March 18, 1990 (Lance Durden) and Talbot County, 24 March, 2012 (Pierre Howard and Dan Vickers) show that the current range follows the last remnants of the Appalachian Mountains down the western side of the state. A record from NW Florida on March 13, 2004 of ovipositing on mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) by Mary Ann Friedman suggests that Brown Elfin is present in areas of Southwest Georgia where mountain laurel grows in folded ravines near the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. In North Georgia, the hostplant is Blue Ridge blueberry (also locally called hillside blueberry or early lowbush blueberry) (Vaccinium pallidum) grows in profusion on mountain sides and hillsides. In Talbot County near the Fall Line, Brown Elfin was documented ovipositing on mountain laurel in an area where blueberry species do not occur. There is one brood from early March in warm years and mid-March in most years to mid-April. Early Date: March 9 (Bartow County; Late Date: 19 April (Gilmer County). Conservation Statue: Secure.