Bug FAQJuniper Hairstreak
Mitoura gryneus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The juniper hairstreak is a small North American butterfly that lives near juniper plants in open, dry habitats. Males have a tawny orange or bronzy upper wing, while females are darker; the underside is bright green with white spots and a zigzag white line edged with brown. It overwinters as a chrysalis and can have one to three broods per year depending on the race.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males show a tawny orange or bronzy upper side, while females are blackish brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found on bluffs, open fields, barrens, and other dry or rocky places, usually right on or near juniper shrubs.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults visit flowers near their juniper host plants, especially the sweadneri race.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species spends the winter as a chrysalis. Different races produce one to three generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Males defend territories on cedar trees and can be coaxed into flight by shaking the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The only similar species in its range is Hessel's hairstreak, and it differs from C. xami by lacking a sharp W mark in the postmedian white band.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 48 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do juniper hairstreak butterflies look like?
Males have a tawny orange or bronzy upper wing, females are darker, and both have a bright green underside with white spots and a zigzag white line edged with brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find juniper hairstreaks?
They are usually seen on bluffs, open fields, barrens, and dry rocky places near juniper or cedar trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callophrys_gryneus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.