Habrodais grunus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Habrodais grunus, the golden hairstreak, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in North America in southern Arizona, Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, and Mexico. The habitat consists of oak woodland, canyons and mountain ridges.
The wingspan is 25–32 mm. Adults have a golden-brown coloration on their body, and have a short tail. Adults are on wing from June to September in one generation per year. Adults are primarily crepuscular, being most active in the early morning and evening, while resting in shaded areas for the remainder of the day. They feed on moisture from various sources and possibly also feed on aphid honeydew or other exudates. They spend the majority of their time above in the trees, only descending for nectar.
The larvae, which hatch from eggs laid on host twigs, feed on the young leaves of Chrysolepis chrysophylla, Quercus chrysolepis, Quercus vaccinifolia and Lithocarpus densiflorus. The caterpillars are blue-green in color on their body, and have silver hairs. In their subsequent pupa stage, they are bluish-green with brown dots. The caterpillars will mature to their adult stage in the span of approximately 2 weeks. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Hairstreak sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 227 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Hairstreak in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months. That is one of Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 220 mm in January.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Hairstreak sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Golden Hairstreak sightings, Yosemite National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Golden Hairstreak that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Spring Azure (about 20%), Lustrous Copper (about 20%) and Greenish Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Hairstreak is recorded against all the insects logged in Yosemite National Park (27 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.
