Silky Hairstreak vs American Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Silky Hairstreak American Bumble Bee
Scientific Name Pseudalmenus chlorinda Bombus pensylvanicus
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Lycaenidae Apidae
Size 2.5-3.5 cm wingspan 15-25 mm
Habitat Woodlands Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Australia Eastern and central United States, now declining across its range
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Silky Hairstreak

A small dark butterfly with metallic blue-green sheen and orange-spotted hindwing tails. Its larvae have a mutualistic relationship with ants.

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Did You Know?

Ants guard the caterpillars in exchange for sugary secretions from special glands on the larvae.

American Bumble Bee

A large bumble bee with a yellow thorax, black band between the wings, and a mostly yellow abdomen. Once one of the most common bumble bees in North America, it has experienced significant population declines.

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Did You Know?

Its populations have declined by nearly 90 percent in some regions, prompting conservation concern across its entire range.