BUTTERFLIES: BLUES, COPPERS, HAIRSTREAKS, AND GOSSAMER-WINGS

Gray Hairstreak, Strymon melinus

Family Lycaenidae (Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, and Gossamer-Wings)

Size: Wingspan 1–1.25"

Range: Throughout Colorado

Habitat: Fields, open rural areas, disturbed sites

The swift-flying gray hairstreak is the most common hairstreak in North America. Hairstreaks are so called because of the thin streaks that are usually present along the undersides of their wings. They also usually have one or two thin tails on each hind wing. The upper side wings are slate-gray overall (browner in females), with white margins. When there are two tails, they are uneven in length, and accompanied near their bases by a large orange spot above a smaller black dot. The underside is pale brown gray with black streaking, bordered with white and orange. The body is stout, grayish above and paler gray below, and the hairstreak has black-and-white dotted antennae tipped with orange. The caterpillar is pale green to brownish, plump, and covered with fine whitish hairs. The caterpillar eats the fruits, flowers, leaves, and seedpods of a variety of plants including legumes, mallow, and cotton, often boring into its food. Adults feed on flower nectar. The adult male is illustrated.