Attributes of Strymon melinus
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.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Strymon melinus
Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |
May 14, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | May 15, 2013 | Details |
 |
March 17, 2013 | Lois Stacey | Georgia, United States, Wilkes County | May 13, 2013 | Details |
  |
March 31, 2013 | Ken Cheeks | Columbia County, Georgia, United States | May 13, 2013 | Details |
 |
April 26, 2013 | Jdammarell | Lincoln County, Washington, United States | April 30, 2013 | Details |
 |
April 15, 2013 | Doug Bruce | Hardin County, Tennessee, United States | April 23, 2013 | Details |
 |
April 20, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | April 21, 2013 | Details |
  |
April 14, 2013 | PDunwiddie | Grant County, Washington, United States | April 17, 2013 | Details |
  |
April 13, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | April 15, 2013 | Details |
 |
August 22, 2012 | Jim Klingler | Nemaha County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
  |
April 01, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 03, 2013 | Details |
  |
March 15, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | March 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
September 08, 2012 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | March 23, 2013 | Details |
  |
November 10, 2012 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | March 20, 2013 | Details |
 |
February 03, 2013 | JimConrad | Texas, United States, Uvalde County | February 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
September 22, 2012 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | February 12, 2013 | Details |
 |
July 15, 2012 | J_Martineau | Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States | February 09, 2013 | Details |
  |
February 07, 2013 | Ellen | Coryell County, Texas, United States | February 07, 2013 | Details |
 |
November 02, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 29, 2013 | Details |
 |
November 01, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 28, 2013 | Details |
  |
October 16, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
 |
October 16, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
October 19, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
 |
October 22, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
October 22, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
October 28, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
October 30, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
November 08, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
  |
November 09, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 27, 2013 | Details |
 |
August 07, 2007 | Chip Krilowicz | Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States | January 12, 2013 | Details |
  |
September 15, 2012 | LinRandolph | Lake County, Ohio, United States | January 04, 2013 | Details |
 |
October 04, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | January 03, 2013 | Details |
 |
October 21, 2011 | JeanEvoy | De Soto County, Florida, United States | January 02, 2013 | Details |
  |
November 30, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
 |
December 01, 2012 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | December 30, 2012 | Details |
 |
October 21, 2012 | gunhilda | Payne County, Oklahoma, United States | December 22, 2012 | Details |
 |
July 20, 2012 | Amateur Entomologist | San Luis Obispo County, California, United States | December 09, 2012 | Details |
 |
October 13, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States | December 07, 2012 | Details |
| February 16, 1986 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| July 30, 1988 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Pershing County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 13, 1983 | legacy.reporter (Clifford D. Ferris) | Apache County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 20, 1983 | legacy.reporter (Clifford D. Ferris) | Apache County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 24, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Cleburne County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| July 27, 2012 | legacy.reporter (Paulette Ogard and Sara Bright) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| July 08, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Perry County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| July 28, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 04, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 11, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 12, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Mobile County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 18, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 20, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details |
