The Orange is a small East Asian butterfly whose wings are bright orange on top. It is not found in the United States; it lives in oak woods in Japan, Korea, northern China, and the Russian Far East, where its caterpillars feed on oak leaves.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small hairstreak with a forewing about 5/8–7/8 in (16–22 mm) long. The upperside is orange in both sexes, sometimes with a dark border on the forewing. The underside has a tan band edged with a white line, and each hindwing ends in a black, white-tipped tail.
Look-alikes
Zebra HairstreakJaponica saepestriata
Check the underside: the Zebra Hairstreak is pale orange with rows of angular black marks, while the Orange Hairstreak has a tan band edged with a white line instead of black marks.
Why they get mixed upBoth are orange on top and fly in the same East Asian oak woods in early summer.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Oak woods
- Forest edges
- Range
- Japan, the Korean Peninsula, northern and northeastern China, and the Russian Far East (Amur and Ussuri regions). It does not occur in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Stays in dense woodland and rarely leaves the trees.
Behavior
- Activity
- In Japan it is reported to be quiet during the day and most active in the evening, perching high in the treetops.
- Overwintering
- Spends the winter as an egg; there is one generation a year.
Life cycle
- Caterpillar food plants
- Caterpillars feed on oaks, including Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) and ring-cupped oak (Quercus glauca).
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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