Another easy one this week: The butterfly on the right is the Early Hairstreak!
ID. Although similar in color, these two species have two distinct, easy to spot differences: tails and spots. The Juniper Hairstreak on the left is tailed, while the Early Hairstreak is tailless. The Juniper Hairstreak has two PM lines in maroon and white, while the Early Hairstreak has rows of red-orange spots. The Early Hairstreak is also brilliant blue on their upperside. These species will also be found in different habitats. The Early Hairstreak prefers rich woods where its host plant, American Beech, grows. The Juniper Hairstreak follows its host plant, the Eastern Red Cedar, and is more likely to be found in open woods or fields.
Threats. The Early Hairstreak is under threat from Beech Bark Disease and now Beech Leaf Disease. Their larvae eat beech nuts making them reliant on the mature trees most impacted by the diseases. However, some populations of Early Hairstreak host on Beaked Hazelnut and may provide an alternate host plant. Keep your eyes on the skies with this species - they most likely spend their time in the canopy but you may run across them getting a drink from exposed water along dirt roads or hiking trails.
Fun Facts. The Juniper Hairstreak contains multitudes. There are at least seven subspecies of Juniper Hairstreak including the only one found in the Northeast - the ‘Olive’ Juniper Hairstreak.
In the West, Juniper Hairstreaks show host preference based on tree age. They prefer to oviposit on old-growth Junipers, even though caterpillars typically developed faster on young trees. This might be because of age-related differences in the chemicals expressed in the leaves (Pardikes et al. 2019)
Juniper Hairstreak by Michael Newlon (iNaturalist)
Early Hairstreak by Will Kuhn (iNaturalist)
This week’s quiz is up! Find it here.