Brown Hairstreak - Favourite Photo of 2018

[Wurzel]

Brown Hairstreak - Favourite Photo of 2018

Week 2

Has it already been a week? Where did the time go? Things look to be getting a bit cooler and then very much so next weekend, fingers crossed they get it as wrong as usual

Anyway back to business here is round two of the Favourite photo thread. Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

I nearly missed seeing this species this year. I failed to spot any, during my walk along the Roman Road from Beckley onto Otmoor, Oxon. Fortunately, as I was returning, I met some other butterfliers, who had just seen one busily feeding and, fortunately, it was still there and happy to pose for a few photos:

Otmoor, Oxon - 2nd August 2018
Olympus E-M1 Mk.ii with 100-400 lens (distance 1.5m at 100mm FL) - 1/100s@f/7.1 ISO 1250

Mike

[John W]

I was lucky enough this year to catch a number of Brown Hairstreaks posing on leaves and flower heads that I don't usually see them on:

Steyning rifle range, 11th August 2018

Also that day was notable for the number of UKB members present - Neil Hulme, Trevor, B. Rex among others!

Cheers
John W

[David M]

A very peculiar season for this species in SW Wales. Given the warm summer I anticipated that they'd be out both earlier than normal and in greater numbers.

Sadly, my theories were wrong.

In 4 visits I only saw 10 adults. Two of them were grounded males, and this is exceptional in Pembrokeshire. Sadly, both were elderly and worn, but welcome nonetheless:

Of the 8 females seen, this one was probably the most presentable:

[Vince Massimo]

I did not manage to get any images of a fresh individual this year, but even if I had I may still have chosen this image from my local hot-spot.

Brown Hairstreak eggs - Crawley, Sussex 10-Oct-2018

Vince

[bugboy]

Unlike some other sites, finding these guys at Bookham this year was like getting blood out of a stone. My best results were in the company of Millerd who's sharp eye's found several nice females, even though they still proved hard to pin down. One female however did pose for some time in a small Hazel with a large dark cloud approaching, creating a very unusual and attractive backdrop to her.

[Wurzel]

Brown Hairstreak

This year was a funny old year for Brostreaks. I didn’t get my usual haul of basking males because when they were in their prime it was far too hot so they held their wings tightly closed to keep cool. Then things went a bit funny weather wise when the females started emerging in earnest. Plus to top it all my trip to The Dordogne fell slap bang in the middle of their flight. Hence there weren’t any pristine open wing shots or garish female undersides to choose my favourite from. However this didn’t really matter as some of the males that I found on my earlier trips were in mighty fine nick. The one I chose as my favourite came from Shipton Bellinger and stood out in particular as he was so fresh I could make out the individual hairs on his belly. It was also taken on a cracking ‘2 site, 3 visit, 20+ species’ day – another reason for its selection.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

My best encounters with this species in 2018 were as usual down at Bookham. I saw them on several visits down there in August, and I particularly like this selection:

feasting on overripe blackberries in the absence of flowers

in typical pose on blackthorn with a sloe berry

a very fresh butterfly, only seen briefly with wings open

also very fresh, poised to lay; but chased off by a Small Copper when it tried to bask

Dave

[Chris Jackson]

Adults at my local site are very discrete, so no imago photos this year.

During the Spring however I managed to photograph the same caterpillar when it was 3 mm long, then 10 mm, 15 mm and 18 mm.

3 mm long:

10 mm long:

15 mm long:

18 mm long:

Egg hunting to come this winter.
Chris

[David M]

Adults at my local site are very discrete, so no imago photos this year.

During the Spring however I managed to photograph the same caterpillar when it was 3 mm long, then 10 mm, 15 mm and 18 mm.

....Egg hunting to come this winter.

Well done with those larvae, Chris, and hope your winter egg hunts are productive. With any luck, you'll find some liberally peppered blackthorn where you can look out for adult females next August!