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White-letter Hairstreak - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 19

Well as winters go that one passed quite quickly. I say ‘passed’ purely in the sense of The Favourites almost coming to an end as this is the penultimate week. Fingers crossed things will transition smoothly into Spring and we don’t get a Beast from the East...

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

White-letter Hairstreak

I had two successful trips for Whitters this year and Alners Gorse is proving to be a very reliable site for this species with the massive added bonus of early Brostreaks, a good chance of seeing a Valesina and low down Purple Hairstreaks. I chose this shot simply because it’s the closest that I’ve gotten to a fresh individual for, well, ever actually. Maybe this year I’ll be able to repeat my success?
Have a goodun

Wurzel

As usual, my selection is largely from my annual trip to the Essex colony on the edge of Hadleigh Country Park. It is always worth the trip as the Heath Fritillary colonies are nearby too. The Hairstreaks proved a bit tricky this year, frequently offering just dark silhouettes against the brilliant midsummer sun. However, they seem unworried by human proximity, and often settled very close by and were quite undisturbable.I found others elsewhere in the Park, away from the usual hotspot, but they were less cooperative - this one struck a cheeky pose above my head.However, there was one other memorable moment with this species. I stopped off on my way to York at Bedford Purlieus near Peterborough on a grey and drizzly day hoping to see them as I had done in the past. After a couple of damp hours, a rather worn one finally appeared. Dave

They say the best camera is the one you have with you. In this case an iPhone.(no cropping) A likely “new” colony near Dorchester, Dorset. Three seen , the others doing the usual treetop twirl. This one obliged at head level.

Not for the first time, I spent an inordinate amount of time in July gazing up into the tops of elm trees. Just occasionally managed a long-distance shot of the elusive little butterflies, with these from a country park near Epsom in late June being the closest I got.
For me, it's pretty rare to encounter one at ground level. So it was a pleasant surprise when in the second week of July, at another site, right in the SW corner of Greater London, I spotted a female that had come down to nectar on the creeping thistle. Could see that any attempt at a close approach through the thick vegetation would be likely to disturb it, so I took the cautious line and got in some photos from a few metres away first, which was just as well because it then took off.

2023 was my first full year living in Leysin, so every local discovery was exciting. I didn’t find any white-letter hairstreak eggs over the winter but I felt sure they must fly locally so went out with my UV lamp in the spring and duly found plenty of caterpillars. This is one of them, photographed on 21st May:



They are wonderful little caterpillars!

Guy

Not the best year for these at my regular spot near Leigh-on-sea, I have a feeling the Elms they use are starting to succumb to Dutch Elm. Anyway, this female saved the day at the eleventh hour on a visit on a scorching hot morning.

I saw several of these in Pembroke on midsummer's day, but they were high up in the canopy and impossible to get close to.

The only image I got of one was in Greece in early June:

This shot of a White-Letter was taken with my camera at full stretch (and then cropped !) along the Royal Military canal on Romney Marsh on one of the last (of 2) remaining "Huntingdon "Elms that used to grace the banks along the entire length of the canal ,huge felled tree stumps and tree skeletons are still to be seen at lots of different stretches ,along with bits and pieces of Sucker growth that hang on for a few years before dying off. This particular shot also features (by accident ) a fairly recent Damselfly colonist .....Small Red-Eyed Damsel ......They also seem to be drawn to this particular tree . Allan.W.

I'm lucky to have a small number of White-letter Hairstreaks ( and Purple) just 5 minutes from my house so had ample chances to photo these little gems this summer.

Below are my favourites taken this year Melksham, Wiltshire

Without a doubt my Favourite photo, and indeed butterflies of 2023 were the White Letter Hairstreaks at my regular site where I observe them each year near my home in Plymouth.
There a two reasons they were outstanding for me last year. In the first instance they gave me a "National first" sighting of them on the 10th of June which is by far the earliest I have seen them, and secondly a few weeks later I got my first ever glimpse, and photo of a pair mating.
To witness a pair in Cop was truly an extremely lucky event, and to capture it on camera certainaly gave me my most memorable image of last year.
Who knows what 2024 will bring,hopefuly at least one more outstanding memory, and I wish the same for all of you out there too.

Devon Dave wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 7:14 pmWithout a doubt my Favourite photo...

With good reason, Dave. I'd pay a three figure sum to see something like that.