Great Spangled Fritillary vs Margined Colletes

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Great Spangled Fritillary Margined Colletes
Scientific Name Speyeria cybele Colletes marginatus
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Nymphalidae Colletidae
Size 62-88 mm wingspan 8-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Great Spangled Fritillary

Large orange butterfly with heavy black markings and silver spots on the hindwing underside. Common across much of North America.

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Did You Know?

Newly hatched caterpillars do not eat until the following spring after overwintering.

Margined Colletes

A small, pale plasterer bee found in sandy coastal habitats across Europe. It nests in loose sand and forages on wild mignonette and sea holly.

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Did You Know?

Its dependence on both sandy nesting substrate and specialized coastal food plants makes it doubly vulnerable to habitat loss.