view of Brown Hairstreak nectaring on small yellow flowers

Brown Hairstreak. Photo: Caroline Stringer

view of Brown Hairstreak nectaring on flowers in bud

Brown Hairstreak. Photo: Caroline Stringer

Caroline visited BC ‘s Alner’s Gorse reserve on 4/08/18 and took these lovely photographs of a Brown Hairstreak.

The female is particularly beautiful, with forewings that contain large orange patches, and was once considered to be a separate species known as the “Golden Hairstreak”.

Females spend most of their time in Ash trees after mating and then stay there until their eggs mature and they are ready to lay .They then disperse and alternate between basking in the warm sunshine, feeding from nectar sources, and egg-laying.

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