Purple Hairstreaks and oak trees - winter

[Deborah]

Hello, (and a Happy New Year to everyone.)
This year I was lucky to have a small colony of Purple Hairstreaks in one of the oak trees in my garden. It's not a huge tree; the trunk is only about 8-10 inches diameter, but because it's (too) close to the house, it had the top cut off it last year, so seeing Purple Hairstreaks in it despite that this year was brilliant.
I need to prune it some more, but are there likely to be caterpillars/eggs overwintering on the branches?
Thanks for any comments.

[bugboy]

Hi Deborah, if you saw adults in the summer it's almost certain there'll be eggs. They will mostly be found on the south facing branches and laid at the base or amongst the buds and look a bit like a tiny pin cushion. Once you get your eye in they're relatively easy to find.

[Deborah]

Thanks for such a speedy reply
I'll be getting the ladder out tomorrow then! I'm interested that you say the South facing branches, as those are definitely where I saw most activity in the Summer. And, luckily those are the ones that I can most easily leave un-pruned.