New species for Scotland as the White Letter Hairstreak is finally revealed
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 7:34 am
NEW BUTTERFLY SPECIES FOR SCOTLAND
Its not everyday that something as special as this is found whilst out and about on a regular Butterfly recording foray. This White Letter Hairstreak is a new species for Scotland as of yesterday 9th August. Its a very ragged and worn individual which I found on the Scottish Border near Paxton, Berwickshire, feeding at Ragwort on a grass margin by a Bean field.
There are only two previous records of the White Letter Hairstreak having been present in Scotland, one in 1859 (Lennon) Dumfries, and in 1884 Sandbank, Dunoon (William Watson) in an article written for the Glasgow Natural History Society. ( George Thomson, The Butterflies of Scotland). Since then very little and nothing is known about the Butterfly and its status within Scotland. Even those now very old records provided little evidence of its status at the time.
Its very hard to say at this stage how long these Butterflies have been in residence along the Scottish Border, perhaps decades, or maybe just a recent surge north together with several other species expanding on a northern and eastern trajectory. Whatever the case, it will be very exciting gong forward now that we have a clue as to where we could begin looking for further evidence.
Iain.
Its not everyday that something as special as this is found whilst out and about on a regular Butterfly recording foray. This White Letter Hairstreak is a new species for Scotland as of yesterday 9th August. Its a very ragged and worn individual which I found on the Scottish Border near Paxton, Berwickshire, feeding at Ragwort on a grass margin by a Bean field.
There are only two previous records of the White Letter Hairstreak having been present in Scotland, one in 1859 (Lennon) Dumfries, and in 1884 Sandbank, Dunoon (William Watson) in an article written for the Glasgow Natural History Society. ( George Thomson, The Butterflies of Scotland). Since then very little and nothing is known about the Butterfly and its status within Scotland. Even those now very old records provided little evidence of its status at the time.
Its very hard to say at this stage how long these Butterflies have been in residence along the Scottish Border, perhaps decades, or maybe just a recent surge north together with several other species expanding on a northern and eastern trajectory. Whatever the case, it will be very exciting gong forward now that we have a clue as to where we could begin looking for further evidence.
Iain.