Observation date: July 13, 2022
Date notes: When I saw this just now, I was wondering why in the world a hairstreak was in the crappy suburb of Aurora. I looked in my book and found out why, haha - "The Gray Hairstreak "is the most widespread hairstreak in North America, occurring just about everywhere." That probably also explains why he wasn't even on any nice flowers and I spotted him on an invasive weed. Anyway, despite its commonness, it's a first sighting for me, and I'm quite happy to have seen it!
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: (re your recent comments on my Herman's Gulch / Clear Creek county trip, I'm not choosing summit county, it's defaulting to summit when I'm choosing this map location this year. I thought it was weird, because last year in this exact same location it defaulted / set it to clear creek. So there may be a new map glitch?)
Status: Resident
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: July 19, 2022
Coordinator notes: Your confident ID is good...the Gray Hairstreak...a female that looks to be sitting on the leaf of a mallow...likely the invasive weed you mentioned. This is one of the host plants melinus uses, as well as many legume such as alfalfa. Sometimes its good to have a few weeds around some of these butterflies use (also the Common Checkered Skipper uses this mallow).
Evidently your comment as an addition to the observation on this sighting came through while I was commenting above...I don't get into those details on what does what when you locate a sighting. If that happens, include such a comment with your first sighting submission when you have several as you have had from there. Can't be a frequent happening. You were just very close to Summit and it wouldn't separate from it. Mike
