"Immediately after ovipositing, the female uses the dark abdominal tuft to brush hair-like scales onto the whitish egg, rendering it less visible: as these scales are easily removed (hibernated ova are devoid of scales), the purpose of this practice is obscure."
I set off this morning specifically to try and witness this, and photograph a freshly brushed egg. It turns out I chose the right day. Sloe hairstreaks were abounding at my chosen site and females in particular were easy to find (spot the black abdominal brush):
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018h.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018j.jpg)
It didn't take long to spot one ovipositing:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018e.jpg)
She spent several minutes on that one egg, not merely depositing it but caressing it with the tip of her abdomen. The result was amazing - an almost invisible egg, covered in black and white hairs:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciaeegg17jun2018a.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciaeegg17jun2018b.jpg)
If she does that a couple of hundred more times she is going to have a bare bottom!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Ovipositing and oviposturing were going on all over the place:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018i.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018n.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018r.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018s.jpg)
Males have shorter tails (and lack the abdominal black):
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018q.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/acaciae17jun2018u.jpg)
The other day I saw a woodland ringlet laying eggs. Each egg took all of three seconds - just squeeze and off. Whatever Tolman says, there must be some adaptive significance in the sloe hairstreak strategy for her to spend so much time on it.
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/medusaegg15jun2018a.jpg)
(Woodland ringlet egg)
Guy