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 409 - 432 of 7147 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Adair County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2022
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Allegan County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2021
Submitted by: ObserverofGod'sart
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 29, 2022
Submitted by: shar4j
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 29, 2022
Submitted by: Karen Richardson
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 29, 2022
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 28, 2022
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2022
Submitted by: rogerashton
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2022
Submitted by: sedges
Region: Georgia, Stephens County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 27, 2022
Observation date: Jun 26, 2022
Submitted by: lilkriskattn
Region: Texas, Montague County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2022
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Shasta County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 16, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 16, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2022
Submitted by: EvSherr
Region: Lane County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 17, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2022
Submitted by: EvSherr
Region: Lane County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 11, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2022
Submitted by: EvSherr
Region: Lane County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
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