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gray hairstreak |
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Strymon melinus |
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| Taxonomy | Order: |
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) |
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Suborder: |
Glossata |
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Infraorder: |
Neolepidoptera |
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Parvorder: |
Heteroneura |
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No Rank: |
Ditrysia |
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No Rank: |
Obtectomera |
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Superfamily: |
Papilionoidea (butterflies [excluding skippers]) |
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Family: |
Lycaenidae |
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Subfamily: |
Theclinae (hairstreak butterflies) |
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Tribe: |
Eumaeini |
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| Status |
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| Flight/Season | Late May to mid-September |
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| Habitat | Open sites, especially disturbed sites |
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| Size | Wingspan: 1″ to 1½″ |
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| Identification |
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| Similar Species |
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| Larval Food | Flowers and fruits, especially plants of the pea (Fabaceae) and mallow (Malvaceae) families. |
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| Adult Food | Nectar of blazing star, clovers, coneflower, dogbane, goldenrod, milkweed, mint, sweet clover, thistle, tick trefoil, vetch, and winter cress. |
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| Life Cycle |
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| Behavior |
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| Range |  |
Sources: 7, 20, 21. | |||||
| Sightings |
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| Comments |
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| Images | |||||||
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| Synonyms |
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| Common Names |
cotton square borer (larva) gray hairstreak |
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