Bug FAQGolden Hairstreak
Habrodais grunus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
Golden Hairstreak butterflies have a golden-brown body with a short tail and a wingspan of about 25 to 32 mm. They live in oak woodlands, canyons and mountain ridges across parts of the western United States and Mexico, and adults fly from June to September. Caterpillars grow to adults in roughly two weeks and the species produces one generation each year, feeding mainly on moisture and possibly aphid honeydew.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are golden-brown and have a short tail.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 25 to 32 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They inhabit oak woodlands, canyons and mountain ridges.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults drink moisture from various sources and may also feed on aphid honeydew or other plant exudates.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Caterpillars mature to adults in about two weeks, and the species has one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from June through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are native to North America, occurring in southern Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Kansas, Utah, Colorado.
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 Golden Hairstreak butterflies look like?
They are golden-brown with a short tail.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Golden Hairstreak butterflies?
They live in oak woodlands, canyons and mountain ridges in the western US and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How long does it take for a caterpillar to become an adult?
The caterpillar matures to an adult in about two weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habrodais_grunus
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.