Maximus

[Maximus]

While going through last years photos I found this one which I have puzzled over a bit. We were photographing Common Blues which were very fresh, both male and female. I remember thinking at the time that this female was different. The lunules are white with only the slightest trace of orange on the hindwings and this was not a faded specimen.

I have found this, which appears to be very similar to 'our' female. Could this be the case?


http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/ ... xonID=8856

[Padfield]

That's an interesting insect, Max. Can you give us any other indications of date and location - not to the grid reference, just whereabouts in the country you saw it?

Guy

[Maximus]

Guy, we saw this butterfly at Noar Hill in Hampshire on 30th August 2013.

Maximus (Mike)

[Nick Broomer]

Glad you found your first Purple Hairstreak ovum, Mike. Now all i have to do is wait for the summer to see the resulting photos.

All the best, Nick.

[Maximus]

Thanks Nick, now we have fourteen eggs you'll be seing some photos for sure

Mike

[Maximus]

After our success at finding some Purple Hairstreak ova, we decided to pay a visit to Alice Holt, Straits Inclosure to see if we could find some more. The Forestry Commision have certainly been busy and loads of oaks have been felled, although they appear to have left those bordering the ride! We searched through the cut branches and within a couple of hours had found four eggs and also filled a bin liner with twigs for later inspection at home. While we were searching we realised that we were being watched by two curious Roe Deer who were gradually inching towards us.

We also noticed that the large sallow to the left of the first observation tower (looking from the ride) has a large red 'X' painted on it which can just be seen on the right in the photo. Does this mean it's to be felled or left well alone? We are concerned because we have watched female Purple Emperors ovipositing in this sallow over the last couple of summers!

The next day searching through the contents of the bin liner revealed more eggs, although some had been parasitised.

Laid right in between the oak buds

In the crook of the branch

Parasitised egg with several exit holes

Parasitised egg with exit hole at bottom

We now have a grand total of fourteen to rear through

[Maximus]

Whilst taking photos of the Purple Hairstreak ovum I also had a look at the Orange-tip pupae we are rearing, and decided to take some record shots of these too. Its only a couple of months now before before their emergence, which is eagerly awaited by ourselves. There seems to be a variation in colour in the pupae, i'm not sure of the reasons for this, maybe just a random occurence.

This one appears greenish

Of these two, one appears light brown (bottom)

Light brown pupa

While this one is grey (top)

The last one is very dark, almost black

A very dark pupa

[Vince Massimo]

Very interesting Mike

One of those individuals appears to have pupated upside-down! I have sometimes seen them slip out of their silk slings and come to rest suspended upside-down, but the top one has clearly pupated in that position, because both silken attachment points are still intact. Unless the twig was originally in a horizontal position, or was moved after the first individual pupated, I have no explanation.

Vince

[Maximus]

Hi Vince, interesting, the twig has always been as near as can be, vertical. That pupa was the third larva to pupate and pupated as seen, (the bottom one was the first), i've looked but unfortunately I haven't any photos of this. I didn't realise that this was unusual, and imagined that they could pupate either way round! Now knowing now that it is unusual, will the emerging adult have any problem, as it will emerge facing downwards? I suppose I could cut the twig in half and turn it around if needed.

Mike

[Padfield]

Guy, we saw this butterfly at Noar Hill in Hampshire on 30th August 2013.

Sorry not to have got back to you about this, Max. I wasn't able to come to any definite conclusions. In the end, I decided it almost certainly was a common blue (I wasn't even sure about that to start with) and quite possibly flavescens, as you suggested, but I don't have the description for that to hand. I'm sure someone else will know (Pete?). Unlike the Cockayne specimen, yours has barely a blue scale on the wings, but this is probably independent of the yellow lunules.

I hope someone else can be more helpful!

Guy

[Wurzel]

Really interesting shots of the pupae Mike I'm going to have to start looking into rearing next year I think - it looks like a great way to get through the winter.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Vince Massimo]

......the twig has always been as near as can be, vertical. That pupa was the third larva to pupate and pupated as seen, (the bottom one was the first).............Now knowing now that it is unusual, will the emerging adult have any problem, as it will emerge facing downwards? I suppose I could cut the twig in half and turn it around if needed.

Hi Mike,

What an interesting record .
The adult in the upside-down pupa should have no trouble emerging normally.
Could you add both images of this pupa to the Species-Specific Album when you get time please and, if possible, could the resolution be increased to the maximum limit.

Vince

[Pete Eeles]

Guy, we saw this butterfly at Noar Hill in Hampshire on 30th August 2013.

Sorry not to have got back to you about this, Max. I wasn't able to come to any definite conclusions. In the end, I decided it almost certainly was a common blue (I wasn't even sure about that to start with) and quite possibly flavescens, as you suggested, but I don't have the description for that to hand. I'm sure someone else will know (Pete?). Unlike the Cockayne specimen, yours has barely a blue scale on the wings, but this is probably independent of the yellow lunules.

I hope someone else can be more helpful!

Guy

Just seen this! Yes - flavescens looks good. The original definition is here:

http://archive.org/stream/naturalhistor ... 9/mode/1up

"The fulvous marginal lunules of the upperside are usually full-coloured, but sometimes they are quite pale yellow (flavescens) ...".

Cheers,

- Pete

[Maximus]

Thank you Guy, for the time and trouble you have taken, in trying to help confirm the ID of this butterfly, as you always do, when someone has a tricky one.

Wurzel, it really is a great help in getting through the winter, by the way is Bob still in residence?

Tanks Pete, for the confirmation of flavescens, any idea of how common or otherwise this female form of icarus would be?

[Maximus]

Yesterday, as we had business in Alton, we decided to pay a visit to Noar Hill, taking advantage of the break in the weather. On reflection we wish we hadn't gone there, as what we saw left us both feeling rather distraught. We walked up through the site checking the Brown Hairstreak eggs, which we'd first found on our previous visit on 21st January. In this small,and we believe, possibly, now vulnerable area of suckering blackthorn, we made a count of ten eggs in about thirty minutes. Satisfied, we made our way up to the triangle area, but were not prepared for the sight that greeted us. All of the suckering and self-seeded young blackthorn shoots that had contained so many eggs during our last visit were gone, had been razed to the ground! All that remained of them were two large piles of ash where they had been cut and burnt. Why didn't someone look for BH eggs before cutting, and is this a repeat of what I understand happened at Noar Hill a few years ago?I understand that blackthorn requires cutting, on rotation, to ensure that there is plenty of young growth, which is favoured by ovipositing female Brown Hairstreaks, and I also understand that some eggs will be lost during this cutting process, but what I don't understand is what good can be done by cutting and burning all young blackthorn growth, which potentially contains many BH eggs, without conducting an egg count first?

Even though we were distraught, we set about examining any piece of cut blackthorn twig lying on the ground that hadn't been burnt. After perhaps an hour we found a piece which contained one egg, and as by then it was getting dark we headed for home. When we got home and examined the sucker in the light we found not one, but three eggs, which we now hope to rear through to adults!

We are now concerned for other areas containing Brown Hairstreak eggs at Noar Hill. Will they be cut down too? Surely it's possible to have some form of consultation/co-ordination between those who manage Noar Hill and other interested parties, not just for the Duke of Burgundy, but also for the Brown Hairstreak? Perhaps it would then be possible to come to an arrangement whereby areas containing a concentration of BH eggs is left uncut, or as a last resort, if feasible, let the eggs be collected and reared off site and the adults be returned to the site the following summer. My personal opinion, given what I have seen, is that Brown Hairstreak numbers will continue to decline at Noar under the current management practices unless something changes. Given this, If we manage to successfully rear the three eggs we found, maybe it would be better to release the adults at a site where their progeny will have a better chance of survival.

The burnt blackthorn at Noar Hill

First egg

Second egg

Third egg

Ther blackthorn sucker with three eggs

[Padfield]

I feel for you Max - it is very distressing when this sort of thing happens, though sadly it is also something many of us are used to.

It is a good thing you have three eggs. My experience, observing BH eggs in the wild, is that only about 50% actually hatch, for some reason. I look forward to your pictures of them growing up next year.

Personally, I would release the adults where you found them, unless there is total destruction there. If numbers are down because of the egg loss it can only help the remaining few to boost their numbers with your additions. Remember, each caterpillar you rear through and release makes up for about 100 wild eggs lost (on the principle that on average, 1% of eggs laid in the wild make it through to reproductive adulthood).

Guy

[Susie]

Well done for searching for and rescuing those three. They stand a chance now

[Pete Eeles]

Surely it's possible to have some form of consultation/co-ordination between those who manage Noar Hill and other interested parties, not just for the Duke of Burgundy, but also for the Brown Hairstreak? Perhaps it would then be possible to come to an arrangement whereby areas containing a concentration of BH eggs is left uncut, or as a last resort, if feasible, let the eggs be collected and reared off site and the adults be returned to the site the following summer.

Hi MIke - just to let you know that I've raised this with the other members of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight BC main committee, and we'll be discussing this with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust that manage Noar Hill, with a view to potentially getting notice of planned blackthorn thinning, giving the opportunity to search for eggs before cutting commences. I'll let you know of any progress.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Maximus]

Great news Pete, thank you, that's made our weekend

Thanks, Susie and Guy

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Mike,

Just caught up on your diary, all the best with the Brown Hairstreak eggs.

Neil.