Gray Hairstreak female (2 of 5)

Description:

Strymon melinus. Gray hairstreak, part of the Scrub-Hairsteaks group. May be confused with the Western Tailed-Blue but differs in several respects including its dashed hindwing pattern (line of white dashes with black dashes inside), its orange-tipped antennal clubs, and the tuft of orange-red hairs on its head. Male Gray Hairsteaks have orange abdomens.Resting here on Lonicera tatarica (Tatarian honeysuckle), a shrub of Eurasian origin that has escaped cultivation and is increasingly becoming invasive in our area.April 28, 2012, Popperton Park, Salt Lake City, Utah, elevation 4,950 ft.