Meet the Gray Hairstreak Butterfly (Strymon melinus), one of the most common hairstreaks in North America. These butterflies are small with wingspans around 1 ¼” and are characterized by its gray upper wings with an orange spot, and its lighter gray underwings with white and black lines. The Gray Hairstreak is known for its unique, slim, hair-like extensions on the lower part of its hindwings, which it twitches when at rest. This behavior is thought to mimic a separate head and antennae, distracting predators and allowing the butterfly to escape. A butterfly can lose a piece of its hindwing and survive.

Unlike most butterflies, the Gray Hairstreak does not prefer a specific habitat, and they eat from a wide variety of plants. Mating and egg-laying occur in early spring. Mating pairs are normally spotted at night. Females lay their eggs singly, rather than in clusters, on newly opened flowers of host plants. These eggs hatch in about 6 days and the caterpillars grow and develop over the next 20 days. They then form a chrysalis, where they transform over 10 days to then emerge as a butterfly.

These beautiful butterflies have been spotted in Moorhen and McNabney marshes and we’re excited to see what new life emerges this coming spring.