Gray Hairstreak

Strymon melinus

Identification: Small—size of thumbnail. Above: FW and HW unmarked dark gray-brown, except HW with large orange and black spot near tails. Top of head is orange, and male's abdomen is orange, female's is gray. This is the only species of hairstreak in NJ that one is likely to see perched with open wings. Below: FW and HW clean, light pearl-gray crossed by narrow black postmedian lines bordered with white and orange. Large, squarish orange spot on hindwing includes large black spot at wing margin. Similar hairstreaks: See discussion under White M Hairstreak.

NJ Status and Distribution: Resident. Common from Monmouth and Burlington counties south. Uncommon northward and becoming sporadic in the far northern counties.

Habitat: Open, including disturbed, areas. Attracted to garden flowers, especially mints and stonecrops.

Flight Period: Several broods resulting in an extended flight period from early April into November. Generally does not appear in northern counties until July. Extreme dates: North Jersey 4/1—11/2; South Jersey 3/23—11/19.

Caterpillar Food Plants: Uses a great variety of plants in at least 20 families, but in NJ shows a decided preference for species in the Pea Family and Mallow Family.

Overwintering Stage: Pupa.

Good Locations: Horseshoe Bend Park, Sandy Hook GNRA, Higbee Beach WMA, Cape May Point SP.

Female, Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuary, Somerset Co., NJ, 9/4/06.

Male, Stahl Natural Area, Bedminster Twp., Somerset Co., NJ, 8/2/17.

Cape May, Cape May Co. ,NJ, 9/11/06, on stonecrop.

Violet Lespedeza (Lespedeza violacea) is a member of the Pea Family, one of the favorite caterpillar food plant families for Gray Hairstreak in NJ.

The Mallow Family, illustrated here by the non-native Musk Mallow (Malva moschata), is Gray Hairstreak’s other preferred caterpillar food plant family in NJ.