Description:
Upperside (rarely seen when resting) is a dull brown with an orange border.Although the border may be absent from the forewing.Female sometimes has a large orange flush on the forewing.There are black spots bordering both sides of the orange band on the underside of the hindwing. Winter is passed as an egg. The adults spend nearly all their time in the canopies of trees or dense scrub where they feed on honeydew secreted by aphids. At certain times they make short looping flights in and out of the tree tops, with a peak of activity between 12.00 and 14.00.
Distribution:
Most of Europe except far North and South. And in Britain only in English Midlands. The Black Hairstreak declined steadily during the twentieth century in the U.K. and is now reduced to around 45 sites.
Habitat:
Most colonies breed in dense mature stands of Blackthorn growing in sunny, sheltered situations, usually along wood edges or the edges of rides or glades. Smaller colonies occur in more exposed or shady situations, such as in sheltered hedgerows, small patches of scrub or canopy gaps in mature woodland.
Diet:
Blackthorn is used exclusively by most colonies, but occasionally Wild Plum and other Prunus species are used.
