Extremely early Purple Hairstreak?

[millerd]

There is a report on the Herts & Middlesex BC site of a Purple Hairstreak being seen (and verified) in Leavesden in Herts on the 11th May.

Dave

[Padfield]

It's difficult to see how it could possibly have completed its life-cycle, from egg to adult, on wild oak. If it's a natural emergence I presume the egg was laid on some other plant, that puts leaves out earlier, or on oak artificially accelerated in a greenhouse.



Guy

[Lee Hurrell]

Blimey, I had better check my local patch!

Luckily for me I have a colony a mere 10 minutes walk away (that also holds White Letter Hairstreak), although they normally seem a little behind the early birds so I wouldn't expect to see one there yet, but I will check this week.

Cheers

Lee

[Susie]

Could this have been captive bred?

[Padfield]

I'm very sceptical too, Susie. But my friend Tim in Lyon says black hairstreaks have 'gone bananas and are flying all in dozens all over the place' (that was his report for last week - see http://felixthecatalog.tim.pagesperso-o ... y_year.htm). Somehow things are managing to get seriously ahead of themselves this year, all over Europe! So if it wasn't laid on oak (surely no oaks put leaves out early enough even this year to produce adults already) it's just possible it did it naturally. I still doubt it.

I'm going to go black hairstreak hunting myself this weekend if it stops raining.

Guy

[Susie]

I wouldn't say I was skeptical as such ... just wanting to consider all options. As you say this is a crazy year with emergences occuring far earlier than I would expect.

[Pete Eeles]

Over the years, any captive-bred stock I've had have almost always been slightly ahead (sometimes wildly ahead) of wild populations. I put this down to overly-sheltered conditions in the past, but this year, even with this captive-bred stock deliberately in more-open areas of my modest garden, things are well in advance. I've also been monitoring Purple Hairstreak immature stages in the wild. So here's my summary (in no particular order):

1. Purple Emperor (captive bred). Larvae well-advanced in their last instar, although none preparing to pupate - but this is imminent. I expect adults in the second week of June.

2. Purple Hairstreak (wild). 7 larvae seen through to their final instar. All have now "disappeared" - and I can only assume to pupate. Even though it's 15th May, I wouldn't be at all surprised if I see an adult before the end of the month. It is still May, isn't it?

3. Chalkhill Blue (captive bred). 3 larvae still very very small and behaving themselves. What I'd expect to see in the wild.

4. Marbled White (5 larvae). 3 in their penultimate instar. Seem to be ahead of what I'd expect in the wild, but not extreme.

5. White-letter Hairstreak (3 larvae, 1 of wild origin). All pupated. Adults expected 1st week of June

6. Silver-washed Fritillary. 3 larvae, all final instar. Will pupate in the next 2 weeks. Will emerge as adults 2nd week of June so not massively ahead of plan.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gibster]

How about Lucombe Oak? Semi-evergeen with plenty of greenery even at the depths of winter (although this particular winter may have given them a bashing...) Do Purple Hairstreaks utilise any other oaks other than Pedunculate and Sessile???

Gibster.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
Purple Hairstreak is now out in Sussex too. Ray & Julie Kilner saw one in the heavily-oaked Hairstreak hotspot of Kirdford (West Sussex) on 15th May, beating their own local record by a month and a day. These won't be the last freakish events we see this season. More early emergence dates and additional broods at the back end of the summer seem inevitable.
Neil

[Susie]

I went to Botany Bay today with Pauline and we saw one there.

[Michaeljf]

In the Cevennes two weeks ago there were some Silver-Washed Fritillaries out (unless they were Cardinals). They never stopped for close inspection, and their natural nectar-sources weren't out to make them stop. Still, that is Southern France. I can't even begin to think why or how the Purple Hairstreaks would be out in Britain.

I notice that round my area flight times seem to be related to the flowering plants: Cuckoo-Spit and Orange-Tip, Birds-Foot Trefoil and Common Blue (also Small Copper even though it's not their food-plant), some of the smaller Fritillaries (PBF and SPBF) and Bugle. I know that's a sweeping generalisation but it has some merit. I see that some of the Bramble flowers are now appearing, so unless the larger Fritillaries / White Admiral get a 'move on' their nectar sources will be gone well before they emerge. However, we've yet to be sure if we're going to get a hot summer "Phew! what a scorcher!" etc etc

Michael

[David M]

Things are getting ridiculous now (especially given the reported sighting of a Hedge Brown).

What price Purple Emperors before May is out?

[millerd]

Wasn't that one of those rules of thumb I was told about: Gatekeepers and Purple Emperors emerge at the same time? I do however suspect the triggers are entirely different and this is a fortuitous coincidence most of the time!

Large Blue or Black Hairstreak anyone? Marbled White?

Dave

[David M]

Marbled Whites will CERTAINLY be out in May. Of that I'm sure.

[millerd]

That splendid website "The Purple Empire" is predicting mid-June for HIM, perhaps earlier.
http://apaturairis.blogspot.com/

And of course, even earlier, the White Admiral (how could I overlook that?).

Dave

[Michaeljf]

That splendid website "The Purple Empire" is predicting mid-June for HIM, perhaps earlier.
http://apaturairis.blogspot.com/ And of course, even earlier, the White Admiral (how could I overlook that?). Dave

As I said, just in time for the Bramble flowers! Maybe I should visit be visiting Bernwood Meadows / Whitecross Green Wood for the Black Hairstreak in a week or so!

Michael

[Lee Hurrell]

More early emergence dates and additional broods at the back end of the summer seem inevitable.
Neil

I was thinking about whether we would see extra broods this year at the weekend. Perhaps even from species not usually double brooded.

This sure is a crazy year!

Cheers

Lee

[Julian]

Well speaking of early sightings and Bramble, its flowers are already out on one of my good local spots and they are west facing. Butterfly and moths species in the woodland edge and adjacent meadow will surely be coming out to take advantage of this free source of food. Similarly, I believe that the hatching of lepidoptera eggs also coincides neatly with the availability of food, so I'm not surprised at the mention of early Purple Hairstreak. Nature is far better inclined to the weather than our met forecasters will ever be. Not that it necessarily helps them, they just have to take advantage when they can. Did those little larvae know something way back then? Mind you, it's grey and rather grim here today so here we will not see anything flying....yet. I did just hear two fire engines speeding past the house and out towards the outskirts of town though. That is something we have to watch out for. We have tinder dry conditions on the outskirts of my town and there are little oiks that just love putting a match to things. Two weeks ago, they torched Rushmere Heath..."We didn't mean it to spread.." they said, caught red handed.

If we get the 'upturn' in weather 'forecast' for next week, then we'll continue to get early sightings. We are trying to beat June 7 for earliest Suffolk Silver-studded Blue.

[Rebecca]

It could be because the oaks were out very early this year, well they were here anyway. They beat the ash this year and as the saying goes-

Ash before oak, we are in for a soak,
Oak before ash, we are in for a splash.

Dry summer ahead maybe?

[David M]

Well speaking of early sightings and Bramble, its flowers are already out on one of my good local spots and they are west facing.

Must admit, I saw a fair bit of bramble in flower at Brean Down yesterday (though this is a coastal site so it will have a microclimate all of its own).