Green Hairstreak egg laying?

[Bill S]

Hi all

I managed to get some video of a Green Hairstreak apparently egg laying, but on inspection of the plants afterwards I couldn't see any eggs. I didn't have my hand lens with me so may have missed them but I could easily see some Duke of Burgundy eggs after watching a female lay in a nearby spot.

http://youtu.be/IiFNP0dK6wg

I wondered whether it's possible that females continue to go through the motions of egg laying even though they've already deposited all their eggs?

Cheers

Bill

[Julian]

Yes most definitely but when in the mood they will usually lay. The eggs are as you probably know pretty round and squamous shaped but incredibly tiny. You have to look very carefully to see them. Even when you have got your eye in, it can be tricky.

[Pete Eeles]

I wondered whether it's possible that females continue to go through the motions of egg laying even though they've already deposited all their eggs?

They certainly do - a phenomenon known as "oviposturing" (a term first coined by Guy Padfield, which fits the bill perfectly!) as mentioned in our fledgling glossary at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/glossary.php.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Bill S]

I wondered whether it's possible that females continue to go through the motions of egg laying even though they've already deposited all their eggs?

They certainly do - a phenomenon known as "oviposturing" (a term first coined by Guy Padfield, which fits the bill perfectly!) as mentioned in our fledgling glossary at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/glossary.php.

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks both, now I know the proper terminology

Bill

[Dave McCormick]

That oviposturing, isn't that the female testing the plant to find a right one, and a right place to lay? Think I heard once that they use their legs to "taste" the plant to see if its right for laying on..is that right?