This small brown butterfly is very similar to the white-letter hairstreak but the black hairstreak has a row of orange spots along the edge of the upper-side hindwing.
In the female these spots also extend to the forewings.
The undersides are similar to the white-letter but the white line tends to be straighter and the orange border extends onto the forewings.
The most conclusive way to distinguish the two is by the row of black spots accompanying the orange band which the white-letter hairstreak never has.
They spend most of their lives in the canopy or in dense scrub, feeding on honeydew, and very rarely come down to ground level.
This small brown butterfly is very similar to the white-letter hairstreak but the black hairstreak has a row of orange spots along the edge of the upper-side hindwing. In the female these spots also extend to the forewings. The undersides are similar to the white-letter but the white line tends to be straighter and the orange border extends onto the forewings. The most conclusive way to distinguish the two is by the row of black spots accompanying the orange band which the white-letter hairstreak never has. They spend most of their lives in the canopy or in dense scrub, feeding on honeydew, and very rarely come down to ground level.
Black hairstreak