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White-letter Hairstreak - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 19

The penultimate week! I'm looking forward to these fave selections in particular as I saw all three of the species featured this week but wasn't able to get photos of any of them

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos - just to make it easier to organise and keep everything on track so that we can enjoy this throughout the winter months? 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.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

So I was going to start by saying this was yet another species who's numbers were substantially down from 2015 but then since I only saw them for the first time in 2015, and being a normally tree top species, perhaps I was spoilt rotten in 2015 and last year may have been more normal Also even seeing just one up close is more than many a butterflyer can claim so seeing half a dozen is nothing to complain about!

This solitary individual turned up in my garden on 9th August 2013...
...and almost 3 years later to the day (6th August, 2016) lightning struck twice!
The background to this is that there are no known colonies in the Vale of Belvoir. Indeed it seems there are no surviving elms in the Vale - an area once noted for its many mature specimens (Belvoir Castle had a mile-long avenue of elm on the southern entrance - all lost to Dutch elm disease). In 2013 the BC area co-ordinator for East Midlands told me the nearest reported sightings were at Woodborough - about 10 miles away on the other side of the river Trent, but there was no permanent colony there. Next nearest would be the colony on Wych Elm at Bunny Old Wood - at a distance of 20-odd miles from my house.

Not sure if I'm ever going to solve this minor mystery - but I'll keep checking my garden during the flight season and the surrounding area ever time I go for a walk in the hope of further clues...

This butterfly was a real bonus in 2016. I made an early start at Fermyn on 12 July and on the walk from the car noticed this little beauty roosting on a knapweed by the side of the path. It allowed a close approach from all sides. The day went on to be a great success, with all the usual suspects seen, but this White-letter Hairstreak was the highlight.