Summer Chafer vs Early Thorn

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Summer Chafer Early Thorn
Scientific Name Amphimallon solstitiale Selenia dentaria
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Geometridae
Size 14-18mm 32-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Root Feeders Herbivores
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Summer Chafer

A medium-sized golden-brown chafer that swarms at dusk around midsummer. It crashes clumsily into people and walls.

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Did You Know?

Named for its habit of swarming around the summer solstice, filling warm June evenings with buzzing flight.

Early Thorn

A moth that resembles a dead leaf when at rest, with twig-like resting posture. The spring generation is larger and darker than the summer generation. Comes readily to light.

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Did You Know?

When at rest, this moth perches with wings raised over its back like a butterfly, mimicking a dead leaf.