Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Brown Hairstreak Butterfly
Scientific Name:
Thecla betulae
Wingspan (mm):
Male 36-41mm, female 39-45mm Description
The upperside of the Brown hairstreaks' wings are a rich brown. The female has a bar of orange on each fore-wing and the orange tails of the hind-wings are quite distinctive. The male is much plainer than the female, having only slightly distinguishable bars to the fore-wings. The females' underside is a rich coppery orange with the males underside simmilar, but somewhat paler. The Brown hairstreak is a secretive butterfly which likes to bask on the edges of woodland or hedgerows.
Distribution
Found in western England and Wales with isolated colonies elsewhere. The butterfly is locally distributed in southern Britain and mid-west Ireland and has undergone a substantial decline due to hedgerow removal and annual flailing, which removes eggs.
Habitat
Hedges, scrub, and wood edges are used where Blackthorn is abundant and not too intensively managed. The butterfly typically breeds over wide areas of countryside with extensive networks of hedges and woodland, often on heavy clay soils in low-lying land. In contrast, most Irish colonies are on lighter soils over limestone bedrock.
Diet
The butterfly breeds on young growth of Blackthorn and occasionally other Prunus species such as Bullace.
Status
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: Priority Species Butterfly Conservation priority: high European threat status: not threatened Protected in Great Britain for sale only