Strymon melinus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) is also called the bean lycaenid or cotton square borer. It is a member of the Lycaenidae family, known as the gossamer-winged butterflies and the second-largest family of butterflies. It is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent. It also occurs throughout Central America and in northern South America.
The adult gray hairstreak has a wingspan of 20–32 millimetres (0.79–1.26 in). The upper sides of the wings are gray with an orange spot on the hind margin. The underside of the wings are a lighter gray with white and black lines and orange and blue marginal spots near the hind-wings' tail-like extensions. These extensions twitch while at rest, and may imitate a separate head to encourage predators to go for the wings, potentially allowing the insect to survive.
Caterpillars are green with markings on the sides, covered in short yellow hairs. Like other caterpillars in the Lycaenidae family, S. melinus are attended by ants in a behavior known as myrmecophily. The gray hairstreak lives in a wide range of habitats ranging from tropical forests and mountains... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Hairstreak sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 95th most-seen of the 161 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, June and August–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Hairstreak in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and October–March, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray Hairstreak sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
19th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Gray Hairstreak sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ranks 19th at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Bend National Park (United States, about 30%), Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 20%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (8 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.
