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 7134 verified sightings
Observation date: May 21, 2026
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: May 25, 2026
Observation date: May 21, 2026
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 23, 2026
Observation date: May 23, 2026
Submitted by: BT
Region: Texas, Jones County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2026
Observation date: May 10, 2026
Submitted by: Bgraves26
Region: Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 18, 2026
Observation date: Apr 26, 2026
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Multnomah County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 13, 2026
Observation date: May 10, 2026
Submitted by: Sophia Reyes
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 12, 2026
Observation date: May 07, 2026
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Alex Stach
Verified date: May 10, 2026
Observation date: May 03, 2026
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 10, 2026
Observation date: May 06, 2026
Submitted by: zbeckb
Region: Baldwin County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: Alex Stach
Verified date: May 07, 2026
Observation date: Aug 10, 2025
Submitted by: systanfield
Region: Richland County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 06, 2026
Observation date: Apr 28, 2026
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 29, 2026
Observation date: Mar 29, 2026
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Apr 27, 2026
Observation date: Apr 11, 2026
Submitted by: shar4j
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 22, 2026
Observation date: Apr 11, 2026
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 12, 2026
Observation date: Apr 09, 2026
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 11, 2026
Observation date: Jul 17, 2024
Submitted by: EddieGarrity
Region: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: rynthae
Region: Staunton, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Apr 14, 2024
Submitted by: Mboater
Region: Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Apr 01, 2026
Observation date: Mar 26, 2026
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 26, 2026
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: Mboater
Region: Bedford County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Mar 23, 2026
Observation date: Jun 07, 2024
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Mar 23, 2026
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Mar 23, 2026
Observation date: Jul 31, 2024
Submitted by: larryheine@gmail.com
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Mar 23, 2026
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: larryheine@gmail.com
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: talusrutgers
Verified date: Mar 18, 2026
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