![\"Upright](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2452.jpg\" "\\"Upright")
Upright Prairie Coneflower and a Gray Hairstreak butterfly<\/span><\/p>\nI took these photos last spring at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Wildflowers bloomed in wonderful, wild abandon, drawing countless insects, including Gray Hairstreak butterflies.<\/p>\n
Other insects enjoying the wildflowers included beetles, bees, wasps, moths, ants, and even plenty of spiders.<\/p>\n
Hairstreak butterflies are generally small which can make them hard to spot and photograph. With patience and skills it can be fun because photographing them is<\/em> a challenge.<\/p>\n Gray Hairstreak butterflies primarily feed on nectar from flowers, but their caterpillars feed on a variety of plants. Here are some of the types of plants that Gray Hairstreak caterpillars and adults interact with:<\/p>\n Gray Hairstreak Caterpillar Host Plants:<\/strong><\/p>\n Gray Hairstreak Adult Nectar Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n These plants are important for supporting the lifecycle of Gray Hairstreak<\/span><\/a> butterflies, providing both food for the caterpillars and nectar for the adults.<\/p>\n Planting native trees, wildflowers, shrubs, and vines helps butterflies and insects immensely. Even a few of these in a single yard can make a difference. Together, we can make a huge impact!<\/p>\n Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n Mia<\/p>\n Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Gray Hairstreak butterfly photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my flower, shrub and tree photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Butterflies are rapidly declining in North America, so I\u2019m photographing and sharing them often. Today, I\u2019m sharing Gray Hairstreak photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15124,15144,13973,15021],"tags":[4004,6098,6557,7353,13985,13984,6041,6042,15098,15033,1124,6518,15125,15127,15128,6044,6509,15032,12971,165,15126,15057,15031,4307,5063],"class_list":["post-142553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gray-hairstreak-butterflies","category-johnston-county","category-oklahoma","category-tishomingo-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-adult","tag-blooming","tag-blooms","tag-blossoms","tag-bottomland-hardwood-forests","tag-bottomlands","tag-butterflies","tag-butterfly","tag-coneflower","tag-coneflowers","tag-field","tag-flowering","tag-gray-hairstreak","tag-hairstreak","tag-hairstreaks","tag-nectaring","tag-orange-wildflowers","tag-ratibida-columnifera","tag-red-wildflowers","tag-spring","tag-strymon-melinus","tag-tishomingo-nwr","tag-upright-prairie-coneflower","tag-wildflowers","tag-yellow-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2452.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-B5f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":129139,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/06\/03\/gray-hairstreak-butterfly-on-an-upright-prairie-coneflower\/","url_meta":{"origin":142553,"position":0},"title":"Gray Hairstreak Butterfly On An Upright Prairie Coneflower","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When I visited Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge last week I spent some time photographing Gray Hairstreak butterflies, a butterfly species that is new to me.","rel":"","context":"In "Gray Hairstreak Butterflies"","block_context":{"text":"Gray Hairstreak Butterflies","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/gray-hairstreak-butterflies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gray Hairstreak on an Upright Prairie Coneflower, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Johnston County, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2607.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2607.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2607.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2607.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128836,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/21\/butterfly-photos-from-tishomingo-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":142553,"position":1},"title":"Butterfly Photos From Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I wanted to share a few more things with wings: a set of butterfly photos I took recently at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orange Sulphur butterfly on a coneflower, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128592,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/16\/green-antelopehorns-in-bloom-at-tishomingo-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":142553,"position":2},"title":"Green Antelopehorns In Bloom At Tishomingo NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of the native wildflowers I photographed yesterday morning at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge were pretty clumps of blooming Green Antelopehorns.","rel":"","context":"In "Green Antelopehorns"","block_context":{"text":"Green Antelopehorns","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/green-antelopehorns\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green Antelopehorns at Tishomingo NWR, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Green-Antelopehorns-Tishomingo-NWR-mia-mcpherson-0145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Green-Antelopehorns-Tishomingo-NWR-mia-mcpherson-0145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Green-Antelopehorns-Tishomingo-NWR-mia-mcpherson-0145.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Green-Antelopehorns-Tishomingo-NWR-mia-mcpherson-0145.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128507,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/13\/common-checkered-skipper-butterfly-at-tishomingo-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":142553,"position":3},"title":"Common Checkered-Skipper Butterfly At Tishomingo NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm sharing this Common Checkered-Skipper butterfly photo I took two days ago at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge. This was my last subject of the morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Common Checkered-Skippers"","block_context":{"text":"Common Checkered-Skippers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/common-checkered-skippers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Checkered-Skipper butterfly at Tishomingo NWR, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-checkered-skipper-upright-prairie-coneflower-mia-mcpherson-9831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-checkered-skipper-upright-prairie-coneflower-mia-mcpherson-9831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-checkered-skipper-upright-prairie-coneflower-mia-mcpherson-9831.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-checkered-skipper-upright-prairie-coneflower-mia-mcpherson-9831.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53598,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/15\/colorado-hairstreak-butterfly-photos-from-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":142553,"position":4},"title":"Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly Photos From The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I was photographing birds when I spotted a hairstreak butterfly land right in front of me and took some images of it, I didn't know at the time it was a Colorado Hairstreak butterfly, I found that out later after I got home.","rel":"","context":"In "Colorado Hairstreak Butterflies"","block_context":{"text":"Colorado Hairstreak Butterflies","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/colorado-hairstreak-butterflies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly with wings partially open, Little Emigration Canyon, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/colorado-hairstreak-mia-mcpherson-4864.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/colorado-hairstreak-mia-mcpherson-4864.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/colorado-hairstreak-mia-mcpherson-4864.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/colorado-hairstreak-mia-mcpherson-4864.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":129472,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/06\/14\/black-eyed-susan-photos-with-insects\/","url_meta":{"origin":142553,"position":5},"title":"Black-eyed Susan Photos With Insects","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When I traveled to Tishomingo recently, I spent some time taking photos of Black-eyed Susans. In the process, I also found insects eating or nectaring on them.","rel":"","context":"In "Black-eyed Susans"","block_context":{"text":"Black-eyed Susans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/black-eyed-susans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-eyed Susan with a tiny caterpillar, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Johnston County, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/black-eyed-susan-with-caterpillar-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/black-eyed-susan-with-caterpillar-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/black-eyed-susan-with-caterpillar-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/black-eyed-susan-with-caterpillar-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Gray](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2503.jpg\" "\\"Gray")
Gray Hairstreak butterfly on a wildflower<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Spring](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2507.jpg\" "\\"Spring")
Spring Gray Hairstreak butterfly on a Upright Prairie Coneflower<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n
![\"Gray](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Gray-Hairstreak-Strymon-melinus-mia-mcpherson-2515.jpg\" "\\"Gray")
Gray Hairstreak butterfly nectaring on an Upright Prairie Coneflower<\/span><\/p>\n