www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Starting this week the first opportunity to showcase your favourite shots of 2014! Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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.
Here we got then!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

My annual appointment with Black Hairstreaks was at Whitecross Green Wood on 17th June. They certainly didn't disappoint, with good numbers seen low down and nectaring. In fact, two of them rather atypically came and settled on the grass for a while. My favourite photo is my best one ever of the species (I know, it's not saying much!), and I had several at close quarters far ahead of any previous attempts. It was a good day, and I got to meet David Dennis, Chair of BC, as well!

Dave

Back in 2012, Badger Bob and I had a fruitless day at Brampton Wood in search of my first Black Hairstreak...we only managed a fleeting glimpse of one flying over the canopy and it was gone before I could even focus my eyes on it. We repeated the trip this year and I was vey pleased to get this photograph of a freshly emerged female. This is not just my favourite Black Hairstreak photo but is of my first encounter with this lovely butterfly. Downland boy

On returning from adventures further afield Phil and I were most surprised that no Black Hairstreak had been seen. On 8th June we went to Monks Wood (Cambs) and were delighted to find them. In fact one looked rather tatty and had descended into the grasses, as older ones seem to do. The weather was not ideal in the next week or two but as some people said they would like to see their first BH I turned up when free. Quite frankly I would never have done so given the conditions but I was amazed to find them in dull, overcast, low temperatures (for June).

On 15th June I located one on my transect, Woodwalton Farm. This is 1.5Km from Monks Wood though there are only the wide, flat fen fields in between. Such a nice surprise and as such my favourite, even if he is a bit worse for wear
A new recorded site or just a wanderer? Rumour has it BH tend to inhabit the centre of large woods and do not travel but later observations at Bedford Purlieus would scotch that theory as we saw quite a few on the outskirts there. I've never seen them at BP before. Guess we were looking in all the wrong places

There was a cool wind blowing when I visited Whitecross Green Wood on 10th June and, initially, I did not think I was going to find any Black Hairstreaks. Although I did not have any close encounters, I like this shot, taken against the light to the South of the ride, for its 'atmosphere'.
Mike

Just seeing Black Hairstreaks is a major challenge - photographing them at close quarters infinitely more so.

After visiting Whitecross Green Wood in 2013, I popped into the M40 Compensation Area this year on 15th June on a cloudy day. Numbers were decent - two dozen or so, but the insects largely remained esconsced in the canopies.

This was the best I could do: