A Gray Hairstreak

July 19, 2026

Ventral (wings up) side of the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). A butterfly with a wide range, from southern Canada all the way down to northern South America. They occupy a large variety of habitats, from tropical forests and mountains, to temperate woodlands and meadows, cities, and farmlands.

Dorsal side (wings open) of the Gray Hairstreak. A tiny butterfly with a wingspan of between 1 and 1 1/4 inches. They have an incredible wide variety of host plants, including mallows and legumes, but many, many, many more.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.