Mitoura gryneus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Callophrys gryneus, the juniper hairstreak or olive hairstreak, is a butterfly native to North America. It belongs in the family Lycaenidae. The juniper hairstreak has many subspecies or races, some of which may even be separate species. The upper side of the "olive" juniper hairstreak (C. g. gryneus) is tawny orange or a bronzy color in males, and blackish brown in females. The underside of the wings is bright green with a variable amount of brown scaling. There are two white postbasal spots and a white zigzag postmedian line edged inward with brown on the hindwing.
"Sweadner's" juniper hairstreak (C. g. sweadneri) is very similar to the gryneus race except the two white postbasal spots are reduced. The "Siva" juniper hairstreak (C. g. siva) is also similar to the gryneus race. It lacks the postbasal spots, the postmedian line is straight, and some individuals are brown. Intermediates of the gryneus and siva races occur in west Texas and New Mexico.
The underside of "Nelson's" juniper hairstreak (C. g. nelsoni) is brown with a violet sheen; the white postmedian line is faint, sometimes partial or absent; and the postbasal spots are lacking. "Muir's" juniper hairstreak... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Juniper Hairstreak sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 141st most-seen of the 329 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Juniper Hairstreak in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months. That is one of Big Bend National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 50 mm in September.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Juniper Hairstreak sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Juniper Hairstreak sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%), Badlands National Park (United States, about 10%) and Zion National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Juniper Hairstreak that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Reakirt's Blue (about 30%), Gray Hairstreak (about 30%) and Marine Blue (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Juniper Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
