Lotus Hairstreak

Lotus Hairstreak

Callophrys dumetorum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Francisco

In 3 days ~10%

9 Verified sightings at San Francisco
12 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
April 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 Francisco?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lotus Hairstreak sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 550th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lotus Hairstreak in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

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 Francisco the best place to see a Lotus Hairstreak?

Among the best

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Lotus Hairstreak sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in San Diego (United States, under 5%) and Los Angeles (United States, under 5%).

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 Francisco (9 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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