White-letter Hairstreak vs Scentless Plant Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute White-letter Hairstreak Scentless Plant Bug
Scientific Name Satyrium w-album Jadera haematoloma
Order Lepidoptera Hemiptera
Family Lycaenidae Rhopalidae
Size Wingspan 26-30mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Woodlands
Diet Seed Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Southern United States, Central America, South America
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

White-letter Hairstreak

A small dark butterfly with a distinctive W-shaped white line on the hindwing underside. Breeds on elm.

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Did You Know?

Has declined dramatically due to Dutch elm disease destroying its food plant across Europe.

Scentless Plant Bug

A red-eyed black and red bug that forms enormous aggregations on golden rain trees and other soapberry family plants. Despite its common name, it belongs to the scentless plant bug family. It is completely harmless to humans and structures.

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Did You Know?

Populations feeding on different host plants have evolved different beak lengths matched to seed size, providing a textbook example of rapid natural selection.