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 7094 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: klamke
Region: Pennington County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 29, 2007
Submitted by: hank4044
Region: Lake County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Nov 02, 2025
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 03, 2025
Observation date: Oct 20, 2025
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 22, 2025
Observation date: Oct 18, 2025
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 21, 2025
Observation date: Oct 19, 2025
Submitted by: TJM321
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 19, 2025
Observation date: Oct 07, 2025
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 13, 2025
Observation date: Oct 12, 2025
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 13, 2025
Observation date: Oct 02, 2025
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 11, 2025
Observation date: Oct 04, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 07, 2025
Observation date: Aug 13, 2025
Submitted by: klamke
Region: Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 12, 2025
Submitted by: klamke
Region: Sioux County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 29, 2025
Observation date: Aug 14, 2025
Submitted by: klamke
Region: Goshen County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 29, 2025
Observation date: Aug 23, 2025
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Torrance County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 26, 2025
Observation date: Sep 23, 2025
Submitted by: addie52
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 23, 2025
Observation date: Sep 19, 2025
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 22, 2025
Observation date: Sep 16, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: St. Francois County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Sep 20, 2025
Observation date: Sep 11, 2025
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 11, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 11, 2025
Observation date: Aug 20, 2025
Submitted by: asombro_institute
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 30, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Sep 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 30, 2025
Submitted by: hrr705
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 31, 2025
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 01, 2025
Observation date: Aug 30, 2025
Submitted by: Sophia Reyes
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 31, 2025
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