The Skippers The Swallowtails The Whites and Sulphurs The Blues and Coppers The Gossamer-wings
Life Stages Diagram
The bars in this diagram show approximate times of the year when the butterfly will be present, in Nova Scotia, in its various life stages.

The dates shown for the adult stage are based on actual reports for Nova Scotia. The majority of reports will be within the period shown, but small numbers of adults will be earlier or later.

Dates for egg, larva and pupa are based on what information was available regarding time periods for eggs to develop, and typical time required for pupation. Like the adults, some records can be expected outside the date ranges we have shown. We caution that dates for these immature stages are mostly conjectural.

Gray Hairstreak - Strymon melinus
[Gray Hairstreak image]
Gray Hairstreak - Black River Lake (Methals Road) - 2009-06-04
Photo © Mark Elderkin
What's this?
Status in Nova Scotia
Extremely rare to rare. Four records in Ferguson 1907-1952. There is one record for Nova Scotia in the Maritimes Butterfly Atlas: August 26 2012 in River Bourgeois. The Maritimes Butterfly Atlas S-rank for this species is S1S2: Extremely rare to rare.

Flight Period
Mid-May to late August. Possibly two overlapping broods.

Habitat
Open areas.

Larval Foodplants
Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) in N.S., possibly many other plants.

Similar Species in Nova Scotia
All four of our common hairstreaks are superficially similar. The major differences are in the patterning on the underside of the wings. See Acadian Hairstreak, Banded Hairstreak and Striped Hairstreak.

Notes
This species is believed to be a seasonal migrant from the south, i.e. it probably does not overwinter here.

Further Reading


Gray Hairstreak - Tabusintac Hill, NB, 2010-06-11
Gray Hairstreak - Tabusintac Hill, NB - 2010-06-11
2010-06-11
Photo © Jim Edsall
Gray Hairstreak - River Bourgeois, NS, 2012-08-26
Gray Hairstreak - River Bourgeois, NS - 2012-08-26
2012-08-26
Photo © Rita Viau
Gray Hairstreak - River Bourgeois, 2013-07-22
Gray Hairstreak - River Bourgeois - 2013-07-22
2013-07-22
Photo © Rita Viau
Gray Hairstreak - Black River Lake (Methals Road), 2009-06-04
Gray Hairstreak - Black River Lake (Methals Road) - 2009-06-04
2009-06-04
Photo © Mark Elderkin