Bug FAQEarly Hairstreak
Erora laeta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The early hairstreak is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 21 to 24 mm. It lives in deciduous and mixed woods across eastern Canada and the United States. Its caterpillars feed on the leaves and fruits of American beech and possibly beaked hazelnut.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Erora laeta, known as the early hairstreak, belongs to the butterfly family Lycaenidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 21 to 24 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits deciduous and mixed woodlands.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are associated with American beech and may also use beaked hazelnut as a host.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the early hairstreak eat?
The caterpillars feed on the leaves and fruits of American beech and possibly beaked hazelnut.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erora_laeta
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.