# Gray Hairstreak

*Strymon melinus*

The spots and hair-like tails on its hindwings mimic a head, tricking birds into attacking the wrong end, allowing the butterfly to escape with only a minor wing tear.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Lycaenidae › Strymon
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Sunny open areas, meadows, roadsides, suburban gardens, and forest edges.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on floral nectar from clover, milkweed, and goldenrod; caterpillars feed on flowers and fruits of legumes, mallows, and hibiscus.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, Northern South America
- **Size:** Wingspan of 2.2 to 3.5 cm
- **Lifespan:** 2 to 3 weeks (as an adult)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread pesticide use in agricultural and urban areas, and habitat loss from intensive mowing.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless to humans. You can observe them closely as they nectar on flowers. Avoid handling them directly, as their wings are highly delicate and scales can be easily damaged.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/4987fff4-9339-4c74-957b-cb196d35be94
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/50931

- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/435842145/medium.jpeg (Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.