Purple Hairstreaks and Sycamore

Deb London · #1 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 06:19 AM

I was very pleased to see my first Purple Hairstreak butterflies yesterday. They really are a bonny insect. Out of the corner of my eye I had assumed they were moths, and when I started to study them, at first I thought they were one of the Blue family. They seemed to congregate around one Sycamore branch (not even the whole tree). Does anyone know why they do this if what I read is correct and they lay on oak spp.? I guess they like the honeydew? So if this is the answer, can anyone tell me why they were so interested in one specific area?

Jason Claxton · #2 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 10:16 AM

Hi Deb

I think that they were after honeydew as well.
Though Purple Hairstreaks often wander on to other trees and visit nectar sources that can be low down(I've also seen them on horse dung and on water lillies this year,as well as on the ground),they only lay their eggs on Oaks.In my area it has been a very good year for the Hairstreaks.

Cheers Jason

Deb London · #3 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 10:35 AM

Thanks for the information Jason!

They were so beautiful I'll now be looking carefully at every pile of horse dung I see.

I'm not strange....

Jason Claxton · #4 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deb London

Thanks for the information Jason!

They were so beautiful I'll now be looking carefully at every pile of horse dung I see.

I'm not strange....

Hi Deb

Though I don't want to demotivate you from scanning all horse dollops(though I'm sure you are very keen

),I have to say I've seen only one Purple Hairstreak on that this year.Although many species of butterfly partake of the stuff.

Best of luck.

Susie · #5 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 11:00 AM

Well done on your first sighting, Deb, they are indeed bonnie little critters. And I agree, they would have been after honeydew. The only other possiblity I can think of is that there were bird droppings on the sycamore leaves/branch and they were taking minerals from this

Deb London · #6 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 12:19 PM

Hi Susie,

Ah yes, it could be that!

Whatever it was, they really liked this one branch. They seemed to be meeting up there.

Anyway, I really loved watching them. I will be on the look out for more now.

Deb

aeshna5 · #7 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 04:08 PM

Worth looking for hairstreaks on the mud of drying out ponds- I've seen a couple of reports in the last couple of days of numbers of both Purple + White-letter Hairstreaks down on the mud imbibing water/salts; one of these sites on the Essex side of London. Also other butterfly species doing this too.

In the past I've seen PH come down onto floating mats of algae on ponds- seen this in Kew Gardens several times.

Susie · #8 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 04:22 PM

I had a female PH in the garden on Sunday taking up water after I had watered the garden, it was the first time I had seen this behaviour. It has been uncommonly hot and dry here recently.

Today I was at Denbies hillside and saw a white letter hairstreak nectaring on wild majoran. I've never seen a wh hairsteak there, I've never even noticed an elm in the area so was pretty gobsmacked to say the least!

Susie · #9 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 08:31 PM

Naturenutz · #10 (**permalink**) 20-07-2010, 09:37 PM

I wonder if white letter hairstreaks have another host tree other than elm.
the one i saw a week or so back was on thistles but i went back a few days ago and no elms were visable in the surroundings of the meadow and i walked quite a distance.I have not seen purple hairstreak yet this year , i am jealous