Once I got my bearings, I was overcome by the peace of this superb reserve, you could be forgiven for forgetting that the M40 is only several hundred yards away. My binoculars (essential tools for hairstreaks) were constantly scanning the trees and especially the Blackthorn Prunus spinosa for Black Hairstreak and it was less than thirty minutes before I disturbed one off sallow and it flew twenty feet or so up onto an adjacent oak tree, my first sighting of this famously rare butterfly...does anything provide a better thrill than seeing a new species for the first time (no need for answers to that!) absolutely wonderful
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Search as I may for the next hour and a half, I saw no more of the target species, Large Skipper and Speckled Woods trying to do hairstreak impressions loads, Meadow Brown plenty, and I even managed to see my first Dark Green Fritillary of the year...but Black Hairstreak just was'nt coming out to play! Just as I was beginning to think it may not be my day, my eyes caught sight of something in the wet grass on the path ahead of me, Large Skipper was my initial thought, but then two steps on...eureka...Black Hairstreak and you UK Butterflyers all know what comes next, must be careful now, don't disturb it, no sudden moves and please don't let me get a sudden itch or worst still cramp in the leg muscles when I try to get into positions I should'nt really be seen in to try to get a record photograph...but hey, guess what, like all the other hairstreaks (I've got the full set now!) it was very relaxed and I must admit accomodating, the last bit could just be the garbled promise of image royalties, but then again I'll promise anything to get 'that shot'. I'll never forget the privileged time I spent with this delightful little butterfly. Had it roosted there I wondered, it had been a cold wet night, there were far better places, tucked away under the leaf canopy seemed more probable, I took several (read dozens!) shots and watched the little critter as it moved among the rain soaked grasses, then it surprised me by offering that classic ovipositing posture, I had to move quickly to try to record the moment and managed the attached images of her ready to deposit a egg, without warning it quickly flitted onto the adjacent Blackthorn bushes and was almost lost to view, she perched too far away and it proved too awkward for anymore images, I had to strain to see her as she slowly moved around within the bushes at about a height of six feet or so, it made me wonder if this type of 'pre-ovipositing' is usual among Black Hairstreak perhaps someone reading this could possibly help answer that. Within twenty minutes the little butterfly returned and perched quietly on a hazel leaf, I observed her for quite some time longer, she did'nt appear to produce anymore eggs, I took a few more photographs before she flew off in the warm morning sunshine (you can read those last three words again).
Surprisingly and most fortunately this was to be the only two sightings of Black Hairstreak I had during my visit to Whitecross Green Woods, it was not for lack of trying, later I spoke to around a dozen different individuals who had failed to see a single one, two gents with 500mm lenses managed to see a couple but they were too far away and too far up in the trees for even these long range lens to reach. This reserve is simply wonderful, I could spend weeks here, not just for it's rare or uncommon butterflies - Brown and White-letter Hairstreak are present as are White Admiral, Silver-washed and Dark Green Fritillary - but for it's flora and multitude of other critters, it has something for everyone...put it on your list to visit.
Bill
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