Lotus Hairstreak

Lotus Hairstreak

Callophrys dumetorum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Diego

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

32 Verified sightings at San Diego
12 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lotus Hairstreak

Callophrys dumetorum, the bramble hairstreak or lotus hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the United States in coastal California and rarely in inland California. Subspecies C. d. oregonensis is known as the Oregon green hairstreak.

Callophrys dumetorum has a wingspan is 25–32 mm. The wings are light brown dorsally, and vivid green ventrally, with a broken white postmedial line. On the forewing, the green is typically limited to the leading 1/3rd of the wing.

These butterflies can be found in heathlands, road-cuts, coastal dunes, and open sites and clearings in Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine forests. The larvae have been recorded on broad-leafed lotus and Acmispon nevadensis Adults feed on nectar from these plants, as well as from desert parsley, dogbane, yerba santa, California buckeye, and woolly sunflower.

In 1998 Emmet et al. identified the lectotype for C. dumetorum as the Coastal Green Hairstreak (Callophrys viridis). This disagreement over the identity of the lectotype of C. dumetorum led to confusion between C. dumetorum, C. sheridanii, and C. viridis. The binomial name... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lotus Hairstreak in San Diego?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lotus Hairstreak sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 248th most-seen of the 693 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lotus Hairstreak in San Diego?

March

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lotus Hairstreak in San Diego on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Lotus Hairstreak?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lotus Hairstreak sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San Diego the best place to see a Lotus Hairstreak?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Lotus Hairstreak sightings, San Diego has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Los Angeles (United States, under 5%) and San Francisco (United States, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Lotus Hairstreak live in San Diego?

Same family: Lycaenidae

The closest relatives of the Lotus Hairstreak that you can see in San Diego (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Marine Blue (about 10%), Gray Hairstreak (about 10%) and Western Pygmy-Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lotus Hairstreak sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lotus Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (32 verified sightings), 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.

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