Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus (Hübner, 1818)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: One tail on hindwing. Upperside blue-gray with large red spot near tail. Underside of spring/fall form is dark gray, summer form is paler gray. Relatively straight postmedian line is white, bordered with orange on the inside edge.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.2 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Males perch all afternoon on small trees and shrubs to seek receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on flowers of host plant. Young caterpillars feed on flowers and fruits; older ones may eat leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two flights from May-September in the north, three-four flights from February-November in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: Flowers and fruits from an almost endless variety of plants; most often from pea (Fabaceae) and mallow (Malvaceae) families including beans (Phaseolus), clovers (Trifolium), cotton (Gossypium), and mallow (Malva).
Adult Food: Nectar from many flower species including dogbane, milkweed, mint, winter cress, goldenrod, tick trefoil, and white sweet clover.
Habitat: Open, nonforested sites; common in disturbed, weedy areas.
Range: Throughout continental United States from southern Canada south to Mexico; southward to Venezuela. Comments: The most widespread hairstreak in North America.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Caterpillars may cause economic damage to bean and cotton crops.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 7017 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 16, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 18, 2024
Observation date: Oct 03, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 10, 2024
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 10, 2024
Observation date: Oct 11, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 10, 2024
Observation date: Oct 11, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 10, 2024
Observation date: Sep 27, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 16, 2024
Observation date: Nov 11, 2024
Submitted by: James Steen
Region: Harper County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Nov 11, 2024
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: Chrustay
Region: Quay County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 04, 2024
Observation date: Oct 27, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 03, 2024
Observation date: Nov 01, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Nov 03, 2024
Observation date: Oct 15, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 18, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Catalina Island County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 17, 2024
Observation date: Oct 14, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 15, 2024
Observation date: Oct 08, 2024
Submitted by: leighgodchaux
Region: Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 10, 2024
Observation date: Apr 30, 2024
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Sep 20, 2024
Submitted by: bentert
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 03, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Sep 02, 2023
Submitted by: katb1
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 24, 2024
Observation date: Sep 02, 2024
Submitted by: MinPinLord
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2024
Observation date: Aug 25, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 11, 2024
Observation date: Sep 06, 2024
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, Wichita County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 06, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 05, 2024
Observation date: Sep 01, 2024
Submitted by: TJ in Derry
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: Kentonky41015
Region: Kenton County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 31, 2024
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