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Purple Hairstreak - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 13

Well now we’re into 2024 for a bit of a bang from this weeks Favourites! The days are getting longer and soon the Sightings threads will start filling up, brilliant! In the meantime let’s crack on with the Favourites photos of 2023…

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Purple Hairstreak

This was taken at Alners Gorse on the first of two very memorable visits. The second saw me photographing the ‘Trinity’ of Brown, Purple and White-letter Hairstreak as well as a Valesina and whilst this on this first visit I only manged two of the three it was equally as memorable as it allowed me, along with a stop-off at Lulworth, to gather together 7 firsts for the year! Of the many Purp shots that I managed this year (a great year for me personally with this species) this one was easily my favourite as the individual is exceedingly fresh, so much so that the wings whilst fully inflated were still not quite dry so it sat there looking stunning clinging to its twig. As I clicked away I wondered why Purple and not instead, more accurately, Silver Hairstreak? Misnaming aside it’s still a cracking looking butterfly.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

These seemed to have quite a good year in Surrey. First photo is from Ashtead Common in the first week of July, when a number of them were coming down to the path for minerals and/or taking aphid secretions low in the oaks.
In late August, also at Ashtead Common, this female finally offered me the nice close-up open-winged shot I'd been hoping for all season. Unfortunately by that time all trace of purple had long since disappeared, so again I've included this one in gratitude for its co-operation rather than for its pristine condition.
(I did manage some very distant ones of males displaying their purple up in the trees in evening light earlier in the season, but I'll spare you those.)

A pleasant surprise for me as Purple Hairstreaks are a new species for me in 2023, and I rarely see them come down from the canopy. This one allowed me to approach close enough with my iPhone 11 Plus to photograph it sucking on blackberry juices. Head buried in the fruit but I still like it. This moment made up for a lack of Brown Hairstreak sightings.

Just one shot of this species last year and quite lucky that it came out, considering that I had to hold the camera above my head. It was taken on one of the Gatwick transects.
Vince

Vince Massimo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:56 pmJust one shot of this species last year and quite lucky that it came out, considering that I had to hold the camera above my head...

That's my usual view of them, Vince.

Bookham produced the goods once again last year, as seems to be the norm these days there were lots to choose from low down, here's a fresh as a daisy male just waiting to take his maiden flight up into the tree tops and a slightly older female flashing her purple at me!

Bookham provided some great opportunities to see this species low down in 2023, as it almost always does.

A few favourites:

A brand new male from 22nd June......and a male and female from 8th July. Dave

That last one's a real beauty, Dave.

I didn't see that many Purple Hairstreaks in 2023 and most of those that I did see were high up as usual and well beyond the range of taking any photos.
The only time I saw any low down was at Grafton Wood where a couple were visiting a patch of angelica at the southern end of the main ride when I went there in August.
Cheers,

Neil.

Purple Hairstreaks were comming down everywhere in Surrey, this photo was taken at Ashtead Common on 6th July, we also saw a Black Hairstreak there.

This species is usually frustrating for me. However, I picked the right day to see them descend on 17th July following the Birdfair event in Oakham.

There were extremely good numbers of them at Fermyn Wood and, best of all, many of them were at head level or below:

David M wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 9:05 pm

There were extremely good numbers of them at Fermyn Wood and, best of all, many of them were at head level or below:

1.PHstk1(1).jpg

Similar story in Lincolnshire in July 2023 David - very many sightings at or near ground level for once!