The Skippers The Swallowtails The Whites and Sulphurs The Blues and Coppers The Gossamer-wings
Gray Hairstreak - Strymon melinus
[Gray Hairstreak image]
Gray Hairstreak - Black River Lake (Methals Road) - 2009-06-04
Photo © Mark Elderkin
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